The Bengals are hosting a jam-packed slate on the river to honor their first weekend of training camp on the home turf and it begins Thursday night in a celebration of past and present at Paul Brown Stadium.
For a 6:45 pep rally of season-ticket holders with fireworks to greet the introduction of the current roster as well as a blast from the past with alumni autographs, the gates open at 6.
Tickets are available for $10 online by clicking here or by telephone at the Bengals ticket sales hotline of 513-621-8383, and can be picked up at the North ticket windows starting at 5 p.m. Season-ticket holders that don't have a pre-paid ticket can walk up to the North windows also at 5 p.m.
Then for the next two nights the Macy's Music Festival takes over PBS while the Bengals take to the adjacent practice fields for their first workouts of the season at 3 p.m. Friday and 3:15 p.m. Saturday. The Bengals wrap up the weekend with a 6 p.m. workout Sunday on the practice field.
Those free tickets for a limited crowd of about 1,600 are available first-come, first-serve at the North ticket windows each day from 10 a.m.-12 p.m., or until the supply is exhausted.
"It will be incredibly busy and exciting," said Bob Bedinghaus, the Bengals director of business development. "Kicking off with the pep rally and training camp, as well as celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Macy's Music Festival, it's going to be a memorable weekend."
Upon entering Thursday's pep rally, season-ticket holders receive a $10 voucher for concessions. Among the former players scheduled to sign are Ickey Woods, David Fulcher, Jim Breech, Louis Breeden and Bob Johnson, the first Bengals draft pick ever in 1968.
Groups of the current players have a 15-minute signing period after each of the practices.
The schedule of events for the pep rally:
» 6:15 p.m. - 6:45 p.m. Bengals Highlight video on JungleVision
» 6:45 p.m. Ben-Gals cheerleaders perform on stage
» 6:50 p.m. - 7 p.m. Bengals alumni introductions
» 7 p.m. - 7:45 p.m. Bengals player introductions
» 7:45 p.m. - 8 p.m. Q&A with Bengals radio voices Dan Hoard and Dave Lapham
» 8 p.m. - 9 p.m. Alumni autograph session
» 8 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. Music performance by DV8
» 9:30 p.m. - 10 p.m. Fireworks show
