The one-year experiment could be made permanent if successful.
Friday, April 1, 2022, reported by Joe Platania, TheSportsCol.com
How would you like to drive to the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium for the popping of football pads one day and the thrill of thoroughbred horse racing and the smell of cotton candy the next?
A new plan developed with the mutual cooperation of the Baltimore Ravens and the Maryland State Fair will allow you to do just that, at least for one year.
Per the plan, the Ravens would start training camp later than usual, probably the first week of August, in order to have their camp at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium. It would run through the start of the State Fair (August 25), therefore making the plan workable.
Preliminary camp workouts and subsequent ramped-up drills would run every day from the start of camp through approximately September 1, allowing for approximately one week of the joint football/fair experience. That would cover the entire Ravens preseason, while the State Fair runs through September 11; the NFL regular season begins that day, so the Ravens will need to be out of Timonium long before then.
“You, as fans, would be able to experience two of the things you love most about the last part of summer, football and the fair,” Ravens majority owner Steve Bisciotti said in a press release issued by the team. “Our fans have been wonderfully responsive to our training camp, no matter whether it’s been held at Westminster or at our own facility.”
A statement by Maryland State Fair publicity and community relations director Edie Bernier concurred, but with a caveat.
“Please understand, first of all, that this is a one-year experiment,” she said. “Also, it’s a good way for our people to get used to having large amounts of people on our grounds before the fair opens up. We already handle large crowds at our (off-track betting) facility and for our various concerts, (recreational vehicle) shows, and other events.”
Rumors have already spread that if the experiment is successful, it will become a permanent arrangement between the two parties. However, one huge obstacle will be traffic problems in the middle of Timonium, particularly on York Road.
“I don’t know if this is going to work,” said a local small business owner who wished to remain anonymous. “I have a tough enough time getting anywhere in the middle of the day when the fair and the races are going on, and now this?”
Lots of skepticism like that has already greeted the plan, but Bisciotti is confident in its success.
“First of all, there is plenty of room for all the drills to take place in the infield of the racetrack, which only gets used a few days a year for racing, and only a few more for training,” the owner said. “There are plenty of youth lacrosse games held there, and there’s a softball diamond that they use in the middle of a wide expanse of grass.
“On the front side of the odds board facing the stands, we could have some of the individual position drills, like the one-on-one linemen drills that people love so much, lie when the offense and defensive linemen practice their trench work. That leaves that huge area behind the board for the receivers to run their patterns and the corners to cover them. Also, there is plenty of room for team drills and seven-on-seven work as well.”
Otis Day, 54, a Timonium resident who has attended horse races at Timonium for close to 30 years and has been a Ravens season-ticket holder since 1997, is generally warm to the idea.
“Love it,” he said when told of the plan. “I have to admit, I didn’t think it was something that was even possible. I’d been out to Owings Mills for a few practices and it was a mess, parking-wise. This would be a lot closer for me, too.”
“Sign me up!” said an enthusiastic Carl Crowley, 60, of Cockeysville.
Definitive details of the plan – such as ancillary entertainment and food options that could be available – and a schedule will be made available to season-ticket holders within a month, then the entire plan will be made public shortly after that. As for a parking pass plan or something similar to what was done at One Winning Drive when the camp was held there, nothing has been decided as of yet.
“All are certainly welcome to our Fairgrounds facility,” Bernier said. “We try to provide a safe, welcoming environment during the Fair itself, as well as during any and all events that we host here. We know how much this area loves football, and if they can enjoy it here, why not?
“You’ll have a good time here. I guarantee it.”
________________
For a special message, write down the first letter of each paragraph in order.
