NFL Legend Terry Bradshaw leads SABF
This year’s Grand Marshall for the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival was Terry Bradshaw.
He was excited to finally make it to the festival after originally signing on two years ago.
Bradshaw was impressed by the amount of Steeler’s fans in the area and has his own ties to the region.
His favorite song to sing with his daughter is “Crazy” by Winchester native Patsy Cline.
Bradshaw said, “we have been singing that song together since she was 3 years old but my daughter is a much better singer than I am.”
The Hall of Fame quarterback reflected on his career and said what he is most proud of are his four Super Bowl victories.
“Anybody can have stats but to be a great quarterback you have to win,” said Bradshaw.
He then went on to discuss some of his favorite quarterbacks to watch play currently, “Tom Brady, Justin Herbert, Patrick Mahomes, and Matt Stafford have the stats and can win.”
When turning his focus to the newest Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett he said, “I got to speak with him the day after he was drafted and congratulated him. Pittsburgh is a great franchise and will put him in a position to succeed. It’s the perfect fit. He’s smart and competitive.”
Terry also believes that Carson Wentz should succeed in Washington with the Commanders, “as long as he gets protection. He was unfairly criticized after his injury, but I am rooting for him. He’s a good person and I like to root for good people.”
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95th SABF is in full Bloom
We are in full Bloom here in the Shenandoah Valley as the 95th Apple Blossom Festival is here.
Today will bring us some of the marquis events like the Grand Feature Parade which will have bands from around the country, floats, and this year’s Grand Marshall Terry Bradshaw and Sports Marshall Julius Erving.
Then put on your dancing boots for the Square dance or the Country Music Party.
Bloomin Sunday will cap things off at the Frederick County Fairgrounds with fun for the whole family.
For a full list of events, click here.
For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.
Sports And The Bloom
Greetings from The Booth!
The Booth this week is festooned in pink and green bunting as we celebrate the 95th Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival. The “Bloom” is one of my favorite times of year, as the Winchester area shuts down and goes into party mode with 40 events in 10 days, many of them sports-related. There are Apple Blossom Golf and Tennis Tournaments, an Apple Blossom 10k, a Kids Bloomin’ Mile, and this year, a new E-Sports Tournament.
But the centerpiece of the Festival as it pertains to sports is the Apple Blossom Sports Breakfast. This event is held on the last Saturday of the Bloom and features some top sports celebrities and also honors a “Sports Breakfast Hall Of Fame” class. This years HOF inductees include James R. Wilkins, a great local athlete back in the day, and an even greater philanthropist. The Wilkins Center at Shenandoah University is, of course, named after Mr. Wilkins. Through his generosity, that showplace now exists on the SU campus. That is just one example of how Mr. Wilkins has given back to his community.
The Sports Breakfast also honors some of our local athletes, and this year, that group includes the Hornets’ own Olivia Weinel, who is not only a stellar Basketball player, but excels in the classroom. In addition to Olivia, some athletes from our local high schools will be recognized, a huge moment that they will always remember.
And, in attendance every year are some really big names in sports, and 2022 is no exception. Terry Bradshaw is the overall Grand Marshal of the 95th Bloom, not to mention basketball’s “Dr. J,” Julius Erving. A few words about each…
Some of the younger sports fans out there may only know Bradshaw from the Sunday Fox NFL Pregame Show, as he banters back and forth with Howie and Jimmy and the rest of the crew. But it was Terry Bradshaw that quarterbacked the Pittsburgh Steelers to 4 Super Bowl titles in the decade of the 70s. The Pittsburgh “Steel Curtain” defense grabbed most of the headlines in that era, but Bradshaw saved his best for the big moments, namely the Super Bowl. With a flick of the wrist, Bradshaw launched bombs to the likes of Lynn Swann and John Stallworth, usually when the Big Game was on the line.
He was also involved in one of the biggest plays in NFL history, the “Immaculate Reception,” a play that’s been analyzed more than the Zapruder film. By now you know about this miracle play that happened in the 1972 playoffs. It can be argued that without the Immaculate Reception, there would have been no Steeler dynasty in the 1970s. Post-football, Bradshaw has parlayed his “yokum” persona into a very successful career, but don’t be fooled. You can’t succeed as a quarterback in the NFL without a high IQ. He is also a very good speaker, and is well worth seeing at the Sports Breakfast.
As for Dr. J, Julius Erving, he was the reason every kid in my neighborhood wanted one of those ABA red white and blue basketballs. Before his stint in the NBA, Erving was a member of the Virginia Squires and the New York Nets, and along with players like George “Iceman” Gervin, was part of a colorful group of ABA players. If the NBA was Classical, the ABA was Jazz, and Dr. J. was the Miles Davis of b-ball. He is probably the reason the NBA has a dunk contest. (remember his highlight dunk, sailing through the air from the foul line?) Erving is one of the great elder statesmen and ambassadors of the game of basketball and makes a house call this Saturday at The Bloom!
Have a great Apple Blossom and until the next visit from The Booth…GO HORNETS!
RW
SABF names Terry Bradshaw as Grand Marshall
The 95th Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival’s Grand Marshal is Terry Bradshaw.
The NFL Hall of Famer and four time Super Bowl Champion with the Pittsburgh Steelers will finally get to attend the festivities after initially committing in 2020 and again in 2021.
In addition to his playing career, Terry also is an analyst with the NFL on FOX and has appearances in numerous movies and TV shows.
He also has his own reality show, “The Bradshaw Bunch.”
Your best chance to see Terry is at the Sports Breakfast or leading the Grand Feature parade.
For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.