The much-anticipated Notre Dame-Wisconsin football game at Lambeau Field turned Green Bay into a scene of competing parties on Sept. 5, one day ahead of game day.
Fans for the Wisconsin Badgers rallied downtown, decked out in red and spilling across Broadway and its side streets for festivities that closed some roads starting at noon. Some officials had expected 15,000 people would attend the event, called Badger Bash North.
The Fighting Irish faithful gathered in force for the Shamrock Kickoff in the Titletown district in Ashwaubenon, turning the entertainment zone into a sea of green, gold, Notre Dame blue and all things Irish.
‘Great to see the city painted red’
Shawn Eichorst, newly appointed director of University of Wisconsin Athletics, rallied Badgers fans after Saturday’s parade.
“They need your support, they need your energy, they need your passion,” Eichorst said. “You bring that from the kick to the final play, and I venture a guess it might be one hell of a Fifth Quarter.” The crowd cheered.
(For those not familiar with the Fifth Quarter, it is the Badgers’ post-game celebration by the UW marching band and the fans after home games.)
Badger Bash North was held in Leicht Memorial Park and in the area of Donald Driver Way between Titletown Brewing Co. and The Depot. Badger fans started to trickle downtown in the early afternoon for the Kids Combine.Children who completed five of eight events, like the long jump and quarterback throw, could choose prizes like caps and sunglasses. Staff began to clear the park around 3:30 p.m. for fireworks scheduled later in the night.
Barricades and garbage trucks blocked side streets onto Broadway for the parade, which included the Green Bay Preble High School drum line and the 350-member University of Wisconsin marching band and spirit squad.
The parade also featured grand marshal Mark Tauscher, who played for both the Badgers and the Green Bay Packers.
“There were some Notre Dame fans around and we welcome them, but it’s just great to see the city painted red,” Sharle Kekuewa, Wisconsin Athletics’ assistant director of game day and fan experience, told the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish partied in Titletown
Notre Dame fans began to fill the Titletown district well before the Shamrock Kickoff events kicked into gear.
Notre Dame football program alums Gene McGuire, Shawn Wooden and Chris Zorich hyped up the Fighting Irish faithful with chants and pledges that the Irish would handily beat the Badgers on Sept. 6. McGuire also was part of the Green Bay Packers 1996 team that won Super Bowl XXXI and noted the game will be special for the players and fans.
“Obviously, it’s a special place. It’s great being here with the Notre Dame family at Lambeau Field. I mean, you can’t beat it. The most storied college football program playing at the most storied NFL stadium. You can’t draw it up any better,” McGuire said.
The Shamrock Kickoff also featured performances by the Notre Dame leprechaun and cheer team energized the crowd with chants and cheers before the Notre Dame marching band closed out the festivities with a concert that mixed school songs with pop hits like “Sweet Caroline” and “Take on Me.”
Contact business reporter Jeff Bollier at (920) 431-8387 or jbollier@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X at @JeffBollier.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Badger fans pack downtown Green Bay; Notre Dame fans rally in Titletown
