Sacramento Kings fans flood DOCO for fan fest as excitement grows for regular season play
SACRAMENTO -- Kings fans flooded DOCO Sunday for the annual fan fest at the Golden 1 Center. They got to see the team in action with an open practice as they waited for regular season play to start this week.
"I'm looking forward to the energy," said Alek Scheffler, who is the manager for the Cabana Club in DOCO.
Cabana Club is a new business that got a taste of the action to come and many are looking forward to serving up new creations to customers this season.
"It's going to start getting busier," said Christopher Rothman, who works at World Traveler in DOCO. "Start serving coffee to people who want to stay awake through the whole game."
With added foot traffic, it will also mean added security to prevent incidents like what played out the night before the fan fest where one person was shot near 4th and L Street. Sacramento police said the bullets also hit six empty cars parked inside the nearby DOCO parking garage.
"There's a lot of people around here, just like different ages too that you never know what's going to happen," said Rothman.
Businesses said police and security are constantly checking in with them to make sure everything is going smoothly which will allow fans to focus on the fun this season.
"Sometimes from time to time it can get a little crazy depending on where you are at and the police are always here to make sure people are in check and having a good time," said Robert Hall, the general manager of Fizz Champagne and Bubble Bar.
With big additions to the roster this season like DeMar DeRozan, Kings fans have big hopes for the Beam Team.
At the fan fest, those who were part of the VIP package also got to do meet and greet with Kings alumni Anthony Bonner and Ralph Sampson.
There was food, drinks, music, custom trading cards, and a kid zone. During the open practice, the Kings players also had skill challenges and a rookie talent show.