Milk Maid
Last Sunday’s Minnesota Vikings’ season finale wasn’t what I was hoping for. In fact, the emotions from that game are the polar opposite of the emotions of the “Minneapolis Miracle”.
Was I too hopeful? Possibly. Minnesota sports teams have broken my heart in the past so I was cautiously optimistic.
It was still an incredible season to be a Minnesota Vikings fan.
Minnesota is in the spotlight this week with the NFL Championship game being played at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
It’s disappointing the Vikings aren’t playing in it, and I guess a have a case of the “Big Game Blues.” If the news coverage from the Twin Cities plays anything about the Eagles, “Click!”, I change the channel.
Even though it’s bittersweet for Vikings fans, there’s still plenty to get excited about. Festivities kicked off on Saturday and some of the events look like a lot of fun.
Midwest Dairy partnered with the Vikings and NFL for the “Fuel Up to Play 60” program. The program encourages kids to play for 60 minutes a day and to eat a healthy, balanced diet.
My friend Shannon from New Ulm works for Midwest Dairy and she’s been at the “Fuel Up to Play 60” booth all week. She and Minnesota Vikings linebacker Eric Kendricks visited with guests on and it sounds like Shannon had a great time with him! There a lot of neat events like that going on this week.
Personally, I’m excited to watch the other bowl games like the Kitten Bowl, the Puppy Bowl and the Land’O Lakes Farm Bowl. My sister Brooke is especially looking forward to the puppy bowl. They play for the “Lombarki” trophy. Both the Kitten and Puppy Bowls feature rescue and shelter pets that hope to be adopted.
As part of the Super Bowl Live festivities on Nicollet Mall, the Hallmark Channel, which broadcasts the Kitten Bowl, installed a live attraction of the Kitten Bowl in the Dayton’s Project, the new name for the vacant department store. It’s the first time Hallmark has brought elements of the popular TV show to a live audience for the big game.
Dozens of kittens from around the country arrived in Minneapolis last Thursday in a 41-foot mobile shelter to play their little claws out behind a glass enclosure, including kittens from the Twin Cities. Although they aren’t being filmed for the TV program, they will have a shot at becoming Minnesotans. Each is up for adoption.
The Farm Bowl is a new event and it will take place at 1 p.m. on Thursday at Mariucci at the University of Minnesota. It will be livestreamed for those like me that can’t be there.
The event has been headlined by Minnesota Vikings Tight End Kyle Rudolph. The Farm Bowl pairs up current and former NFL stars Rudolph, Greg Jennings, Jerome Bettis, Golden Tate, Jason Brown and Luke Kuechly with farmers, including two from Minnesota.
They will compete in five different challenges including a tractor tire change, hay bale backup, drone drop, milk pipe puzzle and a feed run. The team that crosses the finish line first will win.
Even though the Vikings weren’t able to bring it home this season, it was still a fun season.
To see Vikings fans from the young to the young at heart catching “Viking Fever”, and skol chant videos in abundance, it was a memorable season. I’m not cheering for either team on Sunday.
I’m just hoping that Minnesotans show the big game visitors how awesome the “Bold North” really is.
To be honest, I’ll just be cheering for the halftime show. I hope Justin Timberlake is the only person in the stadium that “breaks a leg” on Sunday night.