Stark County residents share their favorite Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival memories

• Stark County residents share their favorite memories of the Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival.
• Mark Milano, Crystal Smith and Ron Seymour recall their encounters with Hall of Famers.
• Pam Oster and Mike Wheeler recall memorable times at their favorite events.

Editor's note: The Canton Repository asked some Stark County residents for their favorite memories from the Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival. Mark Milano, Crystal Smith, Ron Seymour, Pam Oster and Mike Wheeler were happy to share.

Here are their memories in their own words:

Mark Milano has driven, sung and exercised with Hall of Famers

Hall of Fame week is something that I look forward to each year and for the past 42 years.

I have been honored to be on the Hall's transportation committee. This job is not for the faint of heart. During Hall of Fame week, I will log between 65 and 70 hours but this is a labor of love and I would not change that for anything.

I have met so many great people such as Tim Brown, Howie Long, Joe Montana, Peyton Manning and his father, Archie, to name just a few. But the two individuals that I am closest with are Jack Youngblood and Morten Andersen. They are like my brothers, and I speak with them almost every week. They have both been to my house on several occasions and I hope to spend some time with my brothers again this year!

I'm a lifelong Raider fan. When a Raider gets inducted, I am usually with them. In 1984, the year that Willie Brown was inducted, he chose to have Al Davis as his presenter. Al would not go to a gym; rather he wanted to work out at the hotel.

We contacted a local gym and they delivered a weight bench, dumbbells and a bar for Al to work out with. I set the gym up in a hotel room for him. He asked if I could spot him while he was bench pressing. Not many people can say they did this for any Hall of Famer. Al took great care of me for doing so and sent me a great Raiders shirt and hat, which I still have to this day.

Driving in the parade is surreal, as there are so many people along the route, and they are calling out your name but you have to focus on keeping the proper distance between the car and the float in front of you. The best was when I was driving Dave Casper. John Madden, who was his presenter, was in the car with Dave and so many people were calling out my name that Madden said, "Who the hell are these people here to see? Us or you?"

Morten Andersen and I were driving up Interstate 77 to the Hall of Fame induction ceremony, blaring "Dancing Queen" by ABBA on the radio, singing at the top of our lungs and laughing the entire time. I told Morten to be sure that he took a hard copy of his speech with him to the podium just in case the teleprompter went down, and it did! If you ever see photos of Morten just after his speech, he has his arms in the air and is holding his speech, which he gave me a copy of and that hangs proudly in my home.

The stories that I could tell over the past 42 years are endless and ones that will last me a lifetime. I can’t thank the Hall of Fame enough for this opportunity and I look forward to taking care of Dwight Freeney this year. I am sure there will be some great memories made during this Hall of Fame week as well!

Milano of North Canton works for Sedgwick and is the host of the High School Football Playbook and the High School Jam Session TV Show. He also is affiliated with Spartan Sports Ohio, broadcasts high school football games in Stark County and fishes in The Portage Lakes Bass Club.

Crystal Smith learns the value of football and Jerry Rice

Although Canton was one of the starting points for professional football and several successful players have come to our city from all over, I didn't understand the importance of football when I was younger.

Perhaps my nonchalant demeanor was the reason why Jerry Rice, a legendary 2010 inductee to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, felt comfortable striking up a conversation with me at an event back in the mid-1990s.

He asked me if I was originally from Canton and I gave my usual pride-filled answer, "Born and raised!" He spoke briefly about his experience as a professional football player. I was still a teenager at that point, and despite the fact that I come from a family of football lovers and I have several family members who have played for the NFL, I myself didn't see what all the hype was about in my youth. So, to say the least, I didn't find much interest in the conversation.

After returning home that night, I told my dad that I had talked to some football player named "Jerry Rice." His eyes widened, "WHAT? You talked to Jerry Rice? What did he say?" I said that I couldn't remember much, and my dad walked away, shaking his head.

Much later in life, I realized why he had reacted that way — football is important, not just as a sport, but as a way of life. I saw how it taught my brothers, my husband, my father — basically the most important men in my life — the value of hard work, as well as discipline and teamwork. I see the same thing happening with my son as he progresses through little league football.

I wish I could go back and thank Jerry for being a role model to my family, but at the very least, I'm honored to serve a city that was a part of his triumphant career and the careers of many striving youth. Sometimes it takes decades for things to resonate, but I guess that's what makes life beautiful.

Smith is a Canton city at-large councilwoman and founder of Stark Youth Technology Center, which seeks to empower individuals with developmental disabilities and foster children.

Ron Seymour loved every bit of the 1997 Hall of Fame game

I remember going to the Hall of Fame game in 1997 when the Vikings and Seahawks played.

The Vikings won that game 28-26. The inductees that year were Mike Haynes, Wellington Mara, Don Shula and Mike Webster.

I was happy that I got to meet Don Shula, and after the game, one of the Minnesota Vikings linemen walked up to me and handed me his gloves. I tried getting his autograph but he kept it moving on to the locker room.

That year made my second Hall of Fame game and I loved every bit of it. It was definitely a good game for sure!

Seymour is one of the founders of the nonprofit organization Walking With A Purpose, which seeks to help youth develop confidence in themselves and build positive relationships with adults and their peers. The organization will host a 1,000 Youth March on Oct. 5 in Canton to empower and unite youth in the community.

Not even a 'monsoon' can stop Pam Oster's love of the Community Parade

I have been on the Community Parade for almost 20 years. At one time it was better known as the Kick-Off Parade. The parade begins on Market Avenue at 11th Street N and travels south through the heart of downtown toward the square. It is a shorter route for the benefit of our participants, often children’s groups.

My position for almost 20 years has been working in the televised portion of the Community Parade. I write scripts for the announcers to read, and then manage communication for them during the parade.

It is a pleasure to see the participants' faces light up as they pass by the recording area where I am stationed. And, of course, seeing the proud family and friends light up as their loved one passes by! The local marching bands are so much fun and my favorite.

Weather has not always complied with our parade expectations! In the 2015 Community Parade, a monsoon came. It did rain on our parade! Luckily, it was near the end of the event.

We are lucky to have experienced folks who monitor the weather very closely for both Hall of Fame parades.

Once again, I look forward to the Community Parade on July 21.

Oster is a Realtor with EXP Realty. She has worked in the real estate industry since 2005 and has been an animal rescue volunteer since 2002.

Mike Wheeler carries on the tradition of admiring 'the balloons'

Everyone loves that up-close experience when a glittering fireworks show leads to those gut-pounding grand finale booms that seemingly echo and reverberate right through you! Without question, going to "the balloons" at the Friends and Family Celebration at the Kent State Stark campus remains among our most cherished (and never to be missed!) Wheeler family traditions.

Never been? Make the Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival Balloon Classic and fireworks part of your 2024 must-attend events. Seeing the gorgeous rolling hills of the Kent State Stark campus fill with food vendors, festivalgoers, balloon races, amazing "night glow," and balloon launches in the mornings and evenings brings a magical sense of community as colorful hot air balloons annually dot our skies for a long weekend every summer!

You'll be surprised how big those balloons are! When our sons were little, we heard a very loud sound outside our home early in the morning one day, abruptly awakening us at the light of dawn. It turned out that an empty lot nearby was the perfect launching point for the race that morning.

We woke the boys up and brought them outside in their jammies to really feel the magic and expertise required to bring those old-fashioned dinosaurs of the air to flight with precision enough to win the race at the Kent State Stark campus. What a cherished experience with our sweet neighbors Dave and Susie Gardner.

Another time, we stood waist-deep in the waters of Lake Cable as the aeronaut (the person who flies the hot air balloon) actually brought the basket so low that they almost tapped the water. Of course, we jumped on our boat and, as any family with young boys would do, we honked the horn, waved our arms and yelled our "hellos!" up to the heavens.

Most certainly, we've all seen the balloons fill our horizon on those balmy summer days — a site that makes you remember why it's so absolutely wonderful to call Canton, Ohio, home. This is the best time of the year to be in Stark County.

Pro Football Hall of Fame week is always filled with delights. But those hot air balloons, no matter where you are, are available to every single Stark County resident and visitor willing to slow down and take a moment to gaze up, just as children have for generations.

From a dad who went to "the balloons" as a kid, I'd tell ya time and time again to make the effort to go — it's worth it — I wouldn't trade these memories with my wife and sons for the world.

Wheeler is a part-owner, president and chief legal officer of Patriot Software and serves on multiple boards including Consumers National Bank, Stark State College and the YMCA of Central Stark County.