More than two dozen of the greatest Saints players ever, led by NFL Hall of Famer Rickey Jackson and the team’s radio duo of Bobby Hebert and Deuce McAllister, will be joined by several current New Orleans Saints on the Great Lawn Saturday afternoon when the City of Biloxi hosts its second annual Saints Experience weekend.
The event is a fundraiser to help build a new home for the Saints Hall of Fame, which has had to operate from the Mercedes Benz Superdome since its building was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.
Two days of events kicks off Friday at noon with a golf tournament at Grand Bear Golf Club, featuring Saints Hall of Famers and a few current players. The football stars will each be paired with a four-member team for the scramble event. Only a couple team slots remain, and can be reserved by calling Biloxi Main Street at 228-435-6370.
On Friday night, the Saints will be guests of the Biloxi Shuckers at their game with the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp in MGM Park. A couple players will throw out the first pitch.
The Saints Kids Experience will take over the outfield at MGM Park Saturday morning at 8:30 for a 90-minute instructional program conducted by New Orleans Saints staff. The event is open to children 6-17 and will include safety instruction and exciting football challenges. Tickets are $15 for participants, or $20 for two. Spectator passes for family are $5 each. Tickets are available at the MGM Box office.
At 4 p.m. Saturday the main event of the weekend will be held on the Great Lawn south of Harrah’s. More than two dozen Saints Hall of Famers will be joined by current Saints players to visit with fans, sign autographs and take photos. Saints cheerleaders will also perform. Live music will be featured on the stage and a silent auction will be held with 2016 team autographed footballs, a weekend in New Orleans and exclusive signed prints of head coach Sean Payton and the Super Bowl trophy.
Hall of Famers attending include Jackson, Hebert and McAllister, standout running backs Dalton Hilliard and Michael Strachan, newly inducted receiver and former LSU star Eric Martin, and defensive stars Vaughan Johnson, Jim Wilks and Reggie Jones.
Among current players scheduled to attend are veteran offensive tackle Jim Strief, quarterback Chase Daniels, cornerback Delvin Breaux and longtime punter Thomas Morstead.
Tickets for the Saints Experience on the Great Lawn are $15 and are available at the MGM Box Office and at Harrah’s in the gift shop.
Fans are encouraged to park in the Harrah’s parking garage and use the pedestrian bridges over U.S. 90 to enter the Great Lawn. The silent auction will be set up inside the covered pedestrian bridge near Oak Street.
News and notes
Water quality report: All those who receive water service from the City of Biloxi should have received the annual water quality report in the mail or seen the report in the Biloxi-D’Iberville Press last week. To see the report online, along with reports from previous years, click here.
