MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Leer en español
Orange Bowl Committee Organizers held a groundbreaking ceremony on Monday at Walt Frazier Park in Miami Gardens.
Obie, the Orange Bowl mascot and local legend Walt Frazier, were the center of attention at a very big ceremony held at the park.
The big game is played every year not far away at Hard Rock Stadium, but now the charitable arm of the Orange Bowl is leaving a lasting footprint.
There is a football field at the park that has been open to the community for years. It’s where kids play, often on Little League teams.
That field is being redone as part of a costly project funded by the Orange Bowl.
It will now be known as the Orange Bowl Field at Walt Frazier Park.
The actual big game is set for later this week, drawing tens of thousands of people, and some security concerns given the terrorist attack that played out on Bourbon Street in New Orleans.
Organizers of the Orange Bowl and Miami-Dade’s new sheriff said appropriate security measures are being taken locally.
“What you want to do is be able to address the concerns at the area, at the arena and ensure that our community knows that we’re there,” said Miami-Dade Sheriff-elect Rosie Cordero-Stutz. “We’re ready and we have a plan in place and the resources in order to address anything that might occur.”
“Technology at the stadium is second to none,” added Orange Bowl CEO Eric Poms. “So we’re very confident in our planning and we want to make it as safe and comfortable for our fans to come out because it’s going to be a magical night.”