Welcome to the greatest gathering of professional football this side of the Super Bowl

Here in Canton and the surrounding communities we are about to host the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival for yet another year.

For many in our region the Enshrinement Festival is the familiar marker of mid-summer and a reminder that, before long, kids will be going back to school. How easy it sometimes can be to forget just how special we are!

As the birthplace of the NFL and home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, each year we have the distinct privilege, as a community, to welcome a new class of the greatest to ever play the game to their new home, along with tens of thousands of fans and the elite of professional football.

As we help kick off a new football season in America each year, all eyes across the nation focus in on Canton hoping for a glimpse of the greatness embodied by each new enshrinee and a large contingent of returning Hall of Famers.

Yes, this is a special place. And for 61 years our community has risen to the challenge of hosting the greatest gathering in professional football this side of the Super Bowl.

The Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce has been honored since the Enshrinement Festival’s inception to partner with the Pro Football Hall of Fame and thousands of volunteers, sponsors, vendors, safety forces and community partners to put on many of the events that dazzle visitors to our region each year.

While some are surprised to learn that the Canton Regional Chamber produces many of the Enshrinement Festival events we have come to know and love, for us this work has always been central to our mission to cultivate economic growth and community vitality in support of our 1,900 members.

Each year, the Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival contributes more than an estimated $40 million to our local economy, providing commercial opportunities for the member companies we serve. It brings together people from all walks of life across our region and beyond as they gather to celebrate the inspiring achievements of a new class of enshrinees. And it reminds us that whatever we strive to achieve, greatness requires the same kind of commitment, tenacity, integrity and teamwork modeled by those greats of the game we honor.

Through that teamwork, we are pleased to introduce new elements to some of our Enshrinement Festival events this year. Thanks to the generosity of The Timken Co. and Visit Canton, we are excited to present the first-of-its-kind drone show in Northeast Ohio as part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Balloon Classic presented by Aultman on July 26 and 27.

The generosity of several sponsors will result in a record number of giant helium balloons heading up Cleveland Avenue in the Canton Repository Grand Parade on Aug. 3. And an expanded partnership with a global brand headquartered right next door in Wooster has allowed us to reimagine the Enshrinees Gameday Roundtable as the “Class of 2024 Unscripted and Tailgate sponsored by Certified Angus Beef” on Aug. 4.

Of course, none of this would be possible without the tireless support of the incredible corps of volunteers both at the Chamber and the Hall. They started their work months before the Enshrinement Festival begins today with the Community Parade, and they will work long hours during festival week to ensure that our community puts on a celebration worthy of the men we’ll be honoring.

Their passion and dedication inspire me every year.

So, as our Hall of Fame region prepares to step onto the national stage again this year, I hope you will remember just how special we are, and just how fortunate to be entrusted with helping the Pro Football Hall of Fame to celebrate the legacy of these legends of the game.

I look forward to seeing you out there for the Enshrinement Festival soon!

Jeff Dafler is president and CEO of the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce.