Ohio State offers information on Championship Celebration
On Saturday, Jan. 18, Ohio Stadium will host a celebration for the National Champion Ohio State Buckeyes. Thousands are expected to attend the celebration, which will begin at 1 p.m.
The event is free and open to the public and every fan will receive a free commemorative program. Seating is first-come, first-served, with some limited reserved seating for students.
Gates will open at 11 a.m. Concession stands will be open to purchase a limited menu of food and beverage items, and Ohio State National Championship merchandise also will be available. Highlights of the Fiesta Bowl will be shown on the scoreboard before the program begins.
New information includes details on disability seating and parking. Individuals wishing to request accessible seating for themselves and one companion may enter through Gate 26, on the east side of the stadium and adjacent to disability parking areas. In addition, the ceremony will be close-captioned on the scoreboard. The event also will feature an interpreter, and seating with good sight lines for the interpreter has been reserved.
Parking for guests with disabilities is available on the surface lots on the east side of the stadium. An Ohio or OSU disability placard must be displayed to access this lot.
Students will be selling commemorative pennants and lapel pins at the event, and proceeds will be donated to Children's Hospital on behalf of Buckeyethon, a student-run philanthropy event benefitting the Behavioral Health Services Wing at Children's Hospital.
The program will begin at 1 p.m. and last for approximately 45 minutes. Players, coaches and officials will gather on a platform at the center of the football field. Athletics Director Andy Geiger will be the master of ceremonies. Speakers will include Ohio State President Karen A. Holbrook, Gov. Bob Taft and Mayor Michael Coleman.
Guests are strongly encouraged to vacate all campus parking lots by 3 p.m. so that parking for other evening events may be accommodated.
Parking and transportation
Complete public parking information, including a map, is located at
http://www.tp.ohio-state.edu/quickpost/fiestabowl/champscelebration.shtml
·Traffic patterns
The Lane Avenue Bridge is now closed to vehicular traffic and motorists should allow plenty of extra time. The posted detour is north on Olentangy River Road, east on Dodridge, and south on either Neil Avenue or High Street. Pedestrians may cross the river at Lane Avenue, off of Olentangy River Road, via a temporary pedestrian bridge.
When traffic flow necessitates, vehicles on Woody Hayes Drive may be routed to the westbound side of the street to make room for the shuttle buses. As with home football games, many streets leading to the stadium may become one-way prior to the celebration if inbound traffic warrants. After the celebration, most streets leading away from the stadium will become one-way, as is customary following home football games, to clear traffic from the area quickly. Guests should follow instructions from the traffic control officers directing vehicles.
·Guest parking
Parking is free of charge for this event. Guests are strongly encouraged to park in lots on West Campus (shuttle service provided), the Schottenstein Center, or the Agricultural campus. The West Campus lots are on Carmack Road, which is west of Kenny Road between Lane Avenue and Kinnear Road. Carmack Road is also accessible south of Lane Avenue between North Star and Kenny roads.
Parking is also available in any campus parking garage, including the Northwest and Tuttle garages; however, parking in the 12th Avenue and South Cannon garages will be reserved for patients and visitors to the Medical Center.
RV and motor home parking will only be available near the Schottenstein Center in the Buckeye lots (located just south of Ackerman Road).
·Parking restrictions
General parking will not be permitted in the lots immediately to the east and west of the stadium. Individuals with football season parking passes will not be able to use them for this event. Parking will not be permitted in the surface lots just north of the Blackwell Inn.
The lots surrounding St. John Arena will be closed to football celebration parking, to make room for fans attending a wrestling match. The Ohio State wrestling team hosts the 2003 Cliff Keen NWCA National Duals in the arena beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday and continuing through Sunday.
·Free shuttles
A free shuttle will provide continuous service from the West Campus lots to the stadium,
beginning at 9 a.m. through one hour after the event ends. On West Campus, shuttles will pick up guests at Mount Hall and drop them off at the Sisson Hall footbridge located just west of Drake Union and Ohio Stadium.
Security measures
To avoid lengthy security delays, it is recommended that guests not bring prohibited items, and avoid (if possible) hard-to-search items like baby strollers. Items that are prohibited include: coolers, backpacks, large handbags, umbrellas, chair-back seats, mace and similar substances, or weapons of any type. Any guest who attempts to enter Ohio Stadium with prohibited items will be turned away.
Guests are encouraged to bring cameras and video recorders, as the team will not be available for autographs. Additional items permitted are uncased binoculars, small handbags, pagers, cell phones, seat cushions and additional clothes appropriate for weather conditions.
Stadium facilities
·Food and beverages
Concession stands will be open to purchase a limited menu of food and beverage items, and Ohio State National Championship merchandise also will be available.
