BANGOR — Friday, Sept. 20, became a special day for four local children selected by a Bangor Daily News contest to meet several Harlem Globetrotters before that night’s game against the International Elites, played at the at the Cross Insurance Center.
The contest awarded participating children and their parents free tickets for specific seats inside the arena, the CIC’s largest venue for public events, and for inclusion in the pre-game Meet and Greet with players. The Globetrotters and Elites played Friday and Saturday as part of the Cross Insurance Center’s grand-opening festivities, and Friday’s game marked the first official ticketed event at the arena since a Sept. 10 ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Erica and Jim Caron of Bangor entered their son, Chase, in the online contest and learned on Sept. 17 that he won. “We’re excited for Chase because he had been wanting to come,” Erica Caron said.
Nicole Morgan of Old Town said that her family had entered 11-year-old Amber, a basketball player, in the contest. The Morgans also learned on Sept. 17 that Amber had won, but she unfortunately was sick on Friday and was unable to attend the game.
Her younger sister, Sophia, went instead. “We were very excited,” Nicole Morgan said as Sophia met Tammy “TNT” Brawner, the only woman on the Globetrotters’ squad. Sophia plays basketball, her mom said.
Brothers Reed and Roman Johnson of Bangor also won tickets through the BDN contest.
The basketball game that began at 7 p.m. featured typical Globetrotters’ humor and incorporated a per-quarter special rule picked by attending fans. The designated showman for the Globetrotters’ spirited action and comedy routines was Nathaniel “Big Easy” Lofton (52), a 6-feet-9-inch New Orleans native who graduated from Southeastern Louisiana University in 2005.