OK, I’ll admit it.

I’ve never been to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

I was born in Canton and have lived in Stark County almost all of my life, and yet I’ve still never set foot into one of the county’s great claims to fame.

Shame! I feel guilty every time I meet someone who has never been to the area. Inevitably, it’s the first thing they ask about. I tend to shuffle my feet around and mumble something about my husband’s being the sports fan of the family.

When I was growing up, talk about the Hall of Fame really meant the festival events outside the actual hall — the parades and fireworks and other goings-on. Who wants to talk about football at a time like that?

It was tradition for me to spend the night at my grandparents’ house the night before the parade. They lived just a few blocks from the parade route, so we could make it down to Cleveland Avenue early to stake out the best seats before we even had a chance to rub the sleep (what little of it there was) out of our eyes.

I waved at every enshrinee or local celebrity to float past. I checked off the lineup in the newspaper and waited to glimpse my older brothers with the GlenOak Marching Band. I loved every minute — even the hours before spent in line at MaryAnn Donuts and back in our seats before the parade watching the community scatter to take their places for the big event.

Today I try to create the same wide-eyed experiences for my children. Though my grandparents no longer live down the street, my family still gets there hours before the parade to stake out seats, get doughnuts and be a part of the excitement.

There certainly isn’t a shortage of things to do during the Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival. This issue of About highlights some of our favorites. A list of all of the events appears on Pages 10-11. Look for Dan Kane’s event spotlight featuring the Balloon Classic on Page 27. Books about football are featured on Page 16, with notable quotes from years past on Page 17. And festival experts give us their tips on Page 13.

So enjoy all of the activities of the Hall of Fame this year — football fan or not — and relish in the spectacular events that take place in our community year after year.