Gritty shows up to promote 2024 Flyers Charities Carnival
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The 45th Flyers Charities Carnival is taking place this month, offering fans the chance to meet players and check out fun activities, including a Ferris wheel, inside Wells Fargo Center.
To help promote the event, none other than the Flyers' fuzzy orange mascot, Gritty, stopped by the CBS Philadelphia studios Wednesday.
We played a little floor hockey …
And I even made a save on one of the shots. It didn't hurt.
Eventually, we got down to business and I heard all about the upcoming carnival from Cindy Stutman, the executive director of Flyers Charities and the senior vice president of community relations.
The carnival brings the Philadelphia community together to support Flyers Charities' mission while meeting players, playing games, and making life-long memories. The entire roster, coaching staff and larger Flyers organization will be in attendance. This is the first carnival for many Flyers players, including Garnet Hathaway, Tyson Foerster, Ryan Poehling and Marc Staal.
Fans of all ages are welcome to enjoy the immersive experience. At the center of it all is a six-story-tall Ferris wheel in the middle of Wells Fargo Center. The fun continues throughout the concourse, with interactive opportunities at every corner.
For the first time, fans can see the brand-new Flyers locker room and see their favorite players' stalls up close by purchasing a locker room tour. Fans can also look forward to bidding on players' favorite things baskets, which are compiled by and unique to each player.
This year's Flyers Charities Carnival will also include another year of head coach John Tortorella's Hockey and Hounds meet and greet, in partnership with PAWS and PSPCA. Fans can meet Tortorella and meet pups up for adoption.
Fan-favorite activations, like signs and snaps (photo/meet and greet with players), shot-on-goal and locker room tours are back once again. There will also be new tailgate games this year, like giant darts and sauce toss. This year also marks the return of the NHL stick auction, which makes available used sticks from some of the league's biggest stars.
Now in its 45th year, the Flyers Charities Carnival is one of the longest-tenured and most successful one-day fundraisers hosted by a professional sports franchise. Since its inception, Flyers Charities has raised more than $35 million.
Flyers Carnival 2024 tickets, date
The Flyers Charities Carnival takes place Sunday, March 17 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Wells Fargo Center. For more information about tickets, visit the Flyers' website.
And be sure to check out the video above and our social media channels for more of Gritty! He was … the opposite of camera-shy.
