Bears to hold special practice at Warren High
The Chicago Bears will host a free special practice on Warren Township High School's football field as part of the school's 100th anniversary celebration.
The "Varsity Bears High School Takeover" is set for Saturday, Aug. 20, at Warren's O'Plaine campus football field, 500 N. O'Plaine Road, Gurnee. It is open to the public, but tickets are no longer available, officials said.
Warren's "100 Years of Excellence" celebration features 100 school-related events and activities that began in June and run through May 31. For the full list and details, visit d121.org. The next events will be held during the Gurnee Days festival, which starts Thursday and runs through Sunday. They include a Gurnee Days reunion booth Friday, a Gurnee Days, centennial and alumni information booth Saturday and the Gurnee Days parade Sunday.
The special Bears event, a first for the team, will feature a team practice, and will include autograph opportunities, activities for the family, entertainment and fireworks.
Warren High's Athletic Director Mark Pos said the school is excited to have the Bears choose their school and facilities to hold the event.
"We did a lot to improve our facilities these past five, seven years, so for them to look at our facility and say that it was worthy enough for them to use it and practice on it, it's a great honor," he said.
According to Pos, tickets to the event sold out in 30 minutes. He expects around 6,000 people to attend the practice.
Pos, a lifelong Bears fan, said this is a rare opportunity for people living in the suburbs.
"When you're at Soldier Field, you're a far distance away," he said. "But when the audience is at our field, the Chicago Bears will be as close as you can get to them. You'll have a view of these players that you would rarely or never get."
Gates will open at 3:30 p.m. and the practice will start at 5:30 p.m. Fireworks will begin at 8:15 p.m.