The following information details the upcoming big weekend here in NT. Hope to see many 75ers in attendance from
near and far. There is a big post game party scheduled at the Third Warders Club as well as the following from the Tonawanda
News:
T-NT: Plans coming together for 100th game
By
David J. Hill
E-mail David The Tonawanda News The big game is now less than a month
away, and plans are being finalized for all of the action on and off the field to celebrate the 100th Tonawanda-North Tonawanda
football game.
A special committee commissioned by North Tonawanda Superintendent Vincent Vecchiarella met for
the final time on Thursday to discuss activities for the game, which will take place at North Tonawanda’s Lumberjacks
Sports Complex on Friday, Oct. 16.
Pre-sale tickets for the game are expected to go on sale within the next two
weeks, said North Tonawanda Athletic Director Greg Witman. Each ticket will be numbered and will have a tear-off stub. Once
available, tickets can be purchased for $2 through the NT athletic office and at the main office.
With this year’s
game expected to draw a record crowd, organizers will rent additional bleachers to accommodate fans. “We can accommodate,
hopefully, a lot of people and keep everybody safe and have an enjoyable time,” Witman said.
This year’s
historic meeting between the rival high schools’ football teams will prominently feature veterans, many of whom will
be honored prior to the game. Helping to maintain that theme, the superintendent’s blue ribbon committee confirmed Thursday
that there will be a U.S. Army helicopter fly-over at the conclusion of the “Star Spangled Banner.”
City
of Tonawanda Mayor Ron Pilozzi said he’s working with his contacts to secure a U.S. Air Force fly-over, something the
committee had originally discussed. “We’re in the process right now of trying to make that happen,” the
mayor said. “I think people would appreciate a fly-over. Maybe we can do both. I don’t know.”
Both
high schools also are finalizing their “T-NT Week” activities to run from Oct. 12-16. With no school that Monday
because of Columbus Day, NT plans to decorate its hallways.
At 6 p.m. Monday, the Tonawanda City School District
is sponsoring a 100th T-NT gala at the Tonawanda Castle. Tickets for this event are $50 and can be purchased by calling the
district office at 213-4698.
The annual T-NT players luncheon will take place from noon to 2 p.m. Oct. 13 at the
Knights of Columbus in the City of Tonawanda. NT has scheduled its pep rally from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 14, while Tonawanda
will hold its rally that Friday afternoon.
Game-day festivities for both schools include the annual car parades.
From 12:30 to 2 p.m. Oct. 16, there will be a T-NT 100th anniversary luncheon at Classics V. Tickets for the event, being
sponsored by the NT Football Hall of Fame and the YWCA of the Tonawandas, are $25 per person. There is a limit of 150 tickets,
and they can be purchased at the YWCA, 49 Tremont St., North Tonawanda.
Commemorative helmet decals will be made
for the players, and both end zones will be painted with their respective schools’ nickname and team colors, a suggestion
put forth by NT Board of Education member Frank DiBernardo.
In addition, NT’s senior class is sponsoring
a tail gate party for North Tonawanda High School students from 3 p.m. until kick-off, which is scheduled for approximately
6:15 p.m.
The game will be broadcast live on Time Warner Cable Sports, and there will be a live webcast of the
game sponsored by the Great American Rivalry Series.
Contact reporter David J. Hill at 693-1000, ext. 115.
