ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. – Fresh off a preseason win over the Carolina Panthers, the Buffalo Bills were back at Highmark Stadium Tuesday, bright and early for an open house of sorts for fans. The song “Shout” blared throughout Highmark Stadium; chants of “Let’s Go Buffalo” rang throughout; and Bills Mafia was asked, “Where else would you rather be than right here, right now?”
The answer for the thousands of fans who scored a ticket to the free open practice was nowhere.
Gates opened at 6:30 a.m. ahead of the 8:30 a.m. practice, but most members of Bills Mafia in attendance were in Orchard Park at 4:30 a.m.
This practice was specifically open to those who are non-season ticket holders. It was $5 per vehicle, with proceeds benefiting the Buffalo Bills Foundation. It was an opportunity for people to get into the door.
“It’s just awesome and we have a family member who helped build it, so it’s just so special,” said Nancy, a Buffalo resident.
“People are going [to find things] to hate about it, but it’s nice,” Torano Spencer, a Lockport resident, said regarding the sightline concerns.
“We’re making our way around this deck and we’ve gone around the first deck checking it all out,” Jim Militello, another Buffalo resident, said. “It is an illustration of Buffalo everywhere you look.”
A giant broken folding table is one of the centerpieces of the stadium’s decor.
“I wasn’t expecting this much. This is not what I was expecting,” Nancy Wojtowicc, an Amherst resident, said as she sat in the stands.
The Bills will travel to Cleveland this weekend to play the Browns, and they are back home Aug. 27 for their final preseason game. The Bills will officially open Highmark Stadium Thursday, Sept. 17 against the Detroit Lions.