By Marci Shatzman
Boca Chamber’s holiday breakfast set the tone for ESPN Events’ 10th Roofclaim.com Boca Raton Bowl televised college football game. The kickoff is 8 p.m. Dec. 21.
Reps from this year’s teams, University of South Florida’s Bulls and Syracuse University Orange were already here to check out their venues.
Collegial USF athletics deputy director Kris Pierce and her Syracuse counterpart Herman Frazier joked about trash talking once their teams, bands and cheer squads arrive for pre-events and the matchup in FAU Stadium.
Tickets at https://roofclaimbocaratonbowl.com/ticket/ There’s a free pep rally at 6 p.m. Dec. 20 in Mizner Park Amphitheater hosted by ESPN and the city of Boca Raton. https://myboca.us/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1136
“This game helps put Boca Raton on the map,” noted George Snow Scholarship Fund president Tim Snow, who emceed the Chamber’s recent Holiday Membership Breakfast sponsored annually by Roofclaim.com Boca Raton Bowl.
“Let’s talk football,” said Troy McLellan, Chamber president and CEO. “We have a team from New York and a team from Florida, and that’s Boca…Florida and New York.”
“We have two teams on the rise this year,” added the Boca Bowl’s executive director Doug Mosley.
New Chamber chairman and Town Center at Boca Raton mall general manager Sal Saldana greeted the sold-out crowd in Broken Sound Club’s ballroom. They gave a standing O to holiday entertainment by West Boca High School’s all-female Calliope chorale led by Catherine Briggs. They’ll be among the band at Rome Italy’s 2024 New Year’s celebration.
The breakfast also included a check presentation for $10,000 from Rotary Club of Boca Raton Sunrise to the Chamber’s Golden Bell Education Foundation for annual school and teacher grants. The club sponsors the annual Teacher of the Year event, on April 18 at The Studio in Mizner Park next year.