Windy City Bulls treat fans to a night of creativity and fun
Fans were treated to a Looney Tunes™-themed experience during the Chuck Jones Big Draw Windy City Bulls game against the Westchester Knicks on Saturday, Jan. 4, at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates.
Families created one-of-a-kind artwork together at Looney Tunes™ art stations located throughout the concourse. The Chuck Jones Doodle Wall, Build Your Own Acme Disintegrator, Sculpt Your Own Planet X Creature and the Acme Animation Experience were a few of the biggest hits. Families also participated in the evening's book drive, which supported the Elgin Partnership for Early Learning and the Boys and Girls Club of Elgin.
Both teams donned Looney Tunes™ jerseys specially designed for the event. The Bulls' jerseys featured Marvin the Martian, while the Knicks sported the Tasmanian Devil. The jerseys were auctioned off, with proceeds supporting the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity (www.chuckjonescenter.org), the backyard experience (www.thebackyardexperience.org) and the Museum of Moving Image in New York City.
Game proceeds benefitted the backyard experience in association with the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity. The backyard experience is a nonprofit that inspires imagination and creativity in children and adults through arts education programs, healing arts in health care programs, programming for senior citizens and those with special needs, and community events that encourage families to create together.
"I love seeing the light-bulb effect, which is always followed by a smile, when people do things they thought they couldn't," said Ben Olson, chairman of the board of the backyard experience.
In 2017, the backyard experience teamed up with the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity in California to bring their programming to Illinois. Craig Kausen, chairman of the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity, is thrilled with how Olson and his team have continued to share Jones' legacy.
"We hope that this game will become an inspiration to other teams to bring creativity to their communities in a similar way," Kausen said.
Throughout the night, fans interacted with Windy City Bulls mascot, Gus T. Bull, collected a rare bobblehead featuring Marvin the Martian and Gus T. Bull, and enjoyed hanging out near the court in the Bulls Kid Nation Fan Zone, where families could shoot hoops and take photos with a Bulls backdrop without missing a second of the game.
Scott Erickson has been a season-ticket holder since the team's inception and enjoys seeing NBA-like action close to home. Watching his son, Avery, win the Dress and Dribble contest made the Jan. 4 game even more special.
The Chicago Bulls Flippers surprised the crowd with impressive stunts during timeouts and dancers from Soul 2 Sole Dance Inc. delivered solid performances during halftime and breaks in the action. After the game, fans headed onto the court for an autograph session with all the Windy City Bulls players.
Season ticket holder Michael Binder said you can't beat these games, especially if you're looking for a family-friendly night out.
"If you have kids, you can't beat the atmosphere," Binder said. "If you're a fan of basketball, the tickets are reasonably priced and you're possibly seeing future talent."