This coming Friday, June 7, 2019 Jurassic Park takes over Memorial Park in Port Hope for game four of the NBA finals with the Toronto Raptors against the Golden State Warriors.
Game three is on Wednesday and game four takes place at the Oracle Centre in Oakland, California.
Adam Pearson owner of Queenies Bake Shop is a season ticket holder for Toronto Raptors and a huge fan of the team came up with the idea over the weekend.
During the Heroes Highway Ride in Port Hope the idea came to him about having a Jurassic Park party for the game on Friday.
“I saw how much excitement there was having so many people around. Being a such large Raptors fan I thought this would be great for the town. Get everybody out and have some fun,” said Pearson speaking to Today’s Northumberland in Memorial Park.
On Monday, June 3, 2019 he reached out to the MLSE (Maple Leaf Sports Entertainment) who license the Raptors to see about getting permission to broadcast the game.
After conversing, Pearson was notified on Tuesday he has approval to broadcast the game.
“It was great to get approval, and now I have work to do.”
The first and obvious obstacle is finding a way to stream the game in Memorial Park.
“Because it’s so late notice there are no big screens available. So I had to think outside the box.”
A 16′ x 9′ screen will be used with the Capitol Theatre graciously allowing the use of a projector.
“The Municipality of Port Hope has been really helpful trying to get an internet connection to Memorial Park and other businesses are also helping out.”
After just receiving the news and speaking to Today’s Northumberland, Pearson said, “it’s extremely exciting.”
Pearson was attending Port Hope Town Council on Tuesday for a by-law exclusion because the game starts at 9 p.m. and will be over at approximately 11:30 p.m.
Streaming in Memorial Park will start at 8 p.m. for the pre-game.
The event is a alcohol free family event, but there are a number of restaurants in the area for celebrations before or after the game.
A local dance studio that has performed for the Raptors will be taking the stage during half-time.
Pearson said he’s unsure how many will attend. There will be picnic tables, but it might be advisable to bring a lawn chair.
Having season tickets, if the event on Friday is successful, Memorial Park could hold other Raptors playoff games and Pearson would gladly help out, but he will be at the two Toronto games (if necessary) for game five and game seven.
With a number of Jurassic Park’s popping up in numerous cities in Canada and even Japan, Pearson said, “it’s more than just Canada’s team – it’s the world’s team.”
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
