The Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement activities were canceled, but tickets are going on sale for the 2021 induction ceremony last Friday, so things may be looking up for the Hall and Canton, Ohio.
Every year, the Hall and Canton host hundreds of football fans for two weeks of celebrations. Most of these celebrations involve local businesses that can expand their customer reach with these events. Ticket sales for a major enshrinement event indicate that the Hall and the Canton Chamber of Commerce are planning to move forward with a 2021 Enshrinement Festival.
Chris Gumpp, vice president of events and development at the Canton Chamber of Commerce, is looking forward to bringing back the celebrations. Her team is thoroughly planning how to hold events safely.
“Our team internally has several different scenarios in place for the events,” Gumpp said. “If an event can’t be held at 100 percent capacity, how can we pull it off at 50 percent capacity?”
This year, the Hall will enroll its 2020 and 2021 inductees, including Peyton Manning, Calvin Johnson, Troy Polamalu and Steve Atwater. Gumpp thinks the larger class size will be a massive draw for those wanting to travel to the event. The hall will induct a total of 28 people this year.
“If we can pull it off, it’s going to be staggering,” Gumpp said. “And it’s going to be awesome to have that many people come to Canton, Ohio.”
A full list of planned enshrinement events can be found here, and keep visiting valleyreality.org for my story on the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s impact on the Canton community.