Packers fans find a home in Chicago: fox11online.com
Will's Northwoods Bar
Updated: Friday, 21 Jan 2011, 7:54 AM CST
Published : Thursday, 20 Jan 2011, 9:41 PM CST
CHICAGO - Just a few blocks from Wrigley Field there's a corner neighborhood bar called Will's Northwoods, as in the North woods of Wisconsin. It prominently displays its green and gold pride.
"People know who were are and what we're about, so, we do get a lot of Bear fans here too," Kevin Kruse, the bar's manager says. He's been the manager here for five years and in that time became a Packers convert, "It's been a slow transformation. But yeah, Packers, I love the Packers now."
Since 1991 Will's has continued to attract more and more Packers faithful. Last week's Packers game against Atlanta had fans line up out the door.
"Yeah, we had about 50 deep out there until the third quarter. People, I don't know why they didn't make a decision to leave at some point, but they hung on with hope that they would get in," Kruse said of the fans.
And even more Packers fans are expected this weekend, but that won't change bar policy, "You know we're not going to let more people in this week than we normally do. But I think the difference is with all this coverage, we're going to have to turn away a lot more people than we have before," says Kruse.
Injured Packer Jermichael Finley announced on ESPN he'll be visiting Will's this weekend. And so will Bryce Lehman a Packers fan from Wisconsin, but living in Chicago, "You know all week long we've got to listen to our colleagues throughout the week saying how about them bears. Where are you watching the Bears game this weekend, you know, and all that. So then on Sunday, we come here you know, this is our place," Lehman says.
Being Chicago you don't have to travel far from the bar to find Bears fans. You'll even find some inside, just not so much on Sunday.
"If the Bears are playing, I'm watching it somewhere else," says Bears fan Jim Meyers.
If you're in the area and don't have a ticket to the game Will's opens at 9:30 A.M. on Sunday and it can hold a couple hundred people. But Sunday is expected to be the Black Friday of football with fans lining up hours ahead of time to get in.
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