Hazel Park

Hazel Park holds first annual City Super Bowl Event

By Andy Kozlowski
C & G Staff Writer

HAZEL PARK — The Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers are heading to Super Bowl XLVII this Sunday, Feb. 3. Not only is the matchup unique because the coaches of the two teams are brothers, but more locally, in Hazel Park, it will mark the first time residents have been able to enjoy the game as a community.

Hazel Park’s City Super Bowl Event will take place inside the Recreation Center, 620 W. Woodward Heights Blvd., starting around 5 p.m. The family-friendly event is free and will offer plenty to eat and do while the big game is on.

The idea was first conceived by CityEdge Church.

“People get together in their homes to watch it, so we figured we could make it a big city event,” said Pastor Craig Brundage, co-founder of CityEdge, along with Lyle Hayman. “We sat down with (Hazel Park Recreation Coordinator) Barbara Scott and figured out how we could have it here, with all these different activities happening at the same time.”

The game itself will play in one room on a 7-foot TV, Brundage explained, with chairs and tables set up. A concession shop will sell low-priced hamburgers, hot dogs, tacos, chips, candy bars, pop, water and more.

“It’s not a price-gouging thing,” Brundage said. “We’d very much like families to come, have a good night out and not walk away broke.”

There will be various activities going on at the same time, including floor hockey and scooter hockey in one room. The so-called “Lions Den” will feature board games and card games, while the “Game Zone” will offer billiards, Ping-Pong and video games. 

“This is a first-year thing, so we’re not sure what to expect,” Brundage said. “We hope there will be anywhere from several dozen people, to 50 people, to 100 or more. It’s a large place, so we can accommodate a lot of people. We just want people from the city to turn out and enjoy themselves.”

Scott said this event marks the latest in a growing number of collaborations with CityEdge. The Recreation Center works with the church to facilitate supervised youth drop-ins called “Fourth Friday,” which, as the name implies, is at the Recreation Center the fourth Friday of each month, from 7-10 p.m.

“They help us quite a bit with the youth drop-in,” Scott said. “They have many volunteers at CityEdge Church. They’ve done quite a bit in our parks, too, painting park equipment and handling some minor repairs.

“We want to get more and more going for our kids in the area, and provide more family-oriented programming,” she added. “That’s what we’re hoping for.”

Hazel Park’s City Super Bowl Event will take place at 5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 3 at the Recreation Center, 620 W. Woodward Heights Blvd. For more information, call (248) 547-5535.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Andy Kozlowski at akozlowski@candgnews.com or at (586)279-1104.