The Emporia Gazette

May 27, 2012

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It may be 35 years old, but the Kansas Shrine Bowl is still growing.

Kansas premier high school All Star football game will be played beginning at 7 p.m. July 26 in Emporia. It will feature 68 of the state’s top graduated high school players.

But that’s not all. The Shrine Bowl continues to add events to its list of activities leading up to kickoff. This year, the Shrine Bowl is adding an all-star cross country race that will be held on game day, featuring 60 of the state’s top boy and girl runners. The event will include 15 of the best runners from the East and 15 from the West in boys and girls competition.

The cross-country meet will join events added in 2007 that include an arts and crafts fair, a 5K run, a pro-style football combine, a fashion show at the Flinthills Mall, and a kid’s fair, co-sponsored by the Emporia Parks and Recreation Department and the Emporia Public Library. That’s all in addition to the largest annual Shrine parade in Kansas, the festive Shrine Bowl Parade, which will begin at 10 a.m. in downtown Emporia.

“We think we’re creating one of the most attractive all-day events in Kansas,” said Kansas Shrine Bowl Executive Director Dave Mize. “We like to call it ‘a family of events for the whole family,’ because there’s something for everyone.”

For the second year, the Kansas Shrine Bowl will also organize a screening clinic for those under 18 who may be eligible for services by Kansas Shrine Hospitals. Doctors will be available to visit with parents and caregivers to determine if Shrine Hospital care might be the right step for youngsters. The screening clinic will be held from 9 to noon at the Flint Hills Community Health Center in Emporia.

While the game itself is the focal point of the day, it is by no means the only activity that involves groups of young people. Besides the cross-country meet, some 200-plus of the state’s best high school musicians will make up the Masonic All-State Marching band, performing at the annual Shrine Bowl banquet on Friday, July 25, leading the parade on game day, and performing at the game. And no football game is complete without the cheerleaders. Between 100 and 125 cheerleaders will attend a cheerleading camp the week before the game. They will entertain during the parade, and lead the cheering for the two squads during the game.

The events are supported by an army of volunteers, including Shriners from all five Kansas Shrine Temples, plus several hundred volunteers from the communities where the game has been played.

This will be the third time the Shrine Bowl has been played in Welch Stadium at Emporia State University. Both of the previous games were won by the East — 22-11 in 1998 and 29-12 in 2004. The West leads the overall series 20-13, with one tie.

Proceeds from the Shrine Bowl events support Shriners Hospitals for Children, a network of 22 hospitals that provide expert, no-cost orthopedic, burn and spinal care to children under 18. Children are admitted free to Shriners Hospitals for Children without regard for race, religion, nationality, creed or relationship to a Shriner.

Advance reserved chairback tickets for the game are $20, $21 on game night. Adult general admission tickets are $9 in advance, $10 on game night. Student tickets (K-12) are $5 in advance, $6 on game night.

Banquet tickets are $20, and must be purchased in advance. For information or to buy tickets, call the Shrine Bowl office at (800) 530-5524.