LeBron Day 2005
by Alex
Loyal readers of this 'blog certainly remember our LeBron Day pilgrimage and celebration of last year. For those new readers who may not recall, Corey and I have pledged to take a spiritual journey to Akron, Ohio and beyond every December 30. This year, we added stops, cemented traditions, and even managed to witness yet another LeBron Day Miracle!
Joining our rag-tag band of misfits this time around were friends of the Mistake by the Lake Sporting Times Scott, Max, and Mike K. Please enjoy this photo montage of our adventure.
Our first stop, as on any good pilgrimage, was to break for lunch. Boy, were we hungry! On a tip from a loyal reader, we remembered that LeBron's favorite restaurant, according to the Gund Arena Jumbotron, was Benihana. Thus, for Benihana we set sail. But alas! They were closed.
As you can see, we were quite dejected. So, we headed to the nearest Benihana-surrogate, P.F. Chang's. The waiter was a bit taken aback by our order of "Five Sprites, please."
Before long, we were very full:
Now it was time to make our way south.
We knew we would need to stock up on a few fine LeBron-endorsed products, as we had done a year earlier. We headed directly for the very same supermarket where we witnessed the First LeBron Day Miracle, the Finding of the FLAVA23. We wondered, might another LeBron Day Miracle be in store?
Praise LeBron! Last year, at least, we knew what it was we sought. But this year, an entirely new flavor of LeBron Powerade revealed itself to us! It was Sourmelon, the green FLAVA23:
After that we picked up the traditional Sprite and Fruity Pebbles and made our way to the cashier, who, for the second consecutive LeBron Day, was not amused:
Fully loaded, we sought out Portage Path Elementary School, the site of LeBron's monumental 5th grade year.
We happened upon His boyhood playground, but our full enjoyment of it was savagely thwarted by a locked gate:
Of course, as LeBron grew older, He moved down Market Street to trusty old St. Vincent St. Mary High School, where He first attained intergalactic celebrity.
Sign-sitting, however, was not the only exciting activity in store for us at SVSM. Down by the football field, and wearing my brand new LeBron James #9 high school football jersey, I was overcome by His holy spirit as I reenacted some of His greatest achievements in wide receiving while a member of the Irish gridiron squad:
Next it was time for our annual attempt to pinpoint the possible exact location of LeBron's birth. We figured, the Akron General Medical Center is a huge freakin' hospital in the middle of Akron; it very well could be the hospital where He was born--it was worth a shot!
On an internet tip, we learned that, as a child, LeBron James might have possibly maybe attended church at the House of the Lord in western Akron. So we decided to stop by their mega-complex.
The Mailbox of the Lord was quite impressive, along with some of the exterior decorations:
On our way out of town, we stopped to toast, once again, the glory of His name before the beautiful skyline of Akron:
Then, as is the custom, I poured Sprite on Corey's head:
As we trekked back toward the north, we made a pit stop in lovely Bath, Ohio, current home of LeBron James... or so we thought!
We were shocked to see His glorious castle razed to the ground. Perhaps He is having a new home built, or perhaps Carlos Boozer, in his infinite frustration, has turned to arson as an escape from the miserable torture that is his life. We suspect that for now, LeBron is passing His days in His Cleveland abode.
Finally, it was time for the last leg of our journey. Akron may be our Mecca, but the building formerly known as Gund Arena will forever be our temple:
Across Ontario Street looms a daunting effigy of King James. First, Corey attempted to appease Him with an offering of His favorite cereal:
I, in turn, cowered in fear at His awesomeness:
But the ceremony of LeBron Day can never truly be over until the celebratory Tossing of Fruity Pebbles to the Wind. This one was for you, Gunner Gatski.
Our LeBron Day pilgrimage had come to a close, and yet we were hungry for more. Corey brought hence his lifetime supply of LeBron's Lightning Lemonade and distributed rations:
Soon it was time for ice cream cake! And all rejoiced.
And it was good.
LeBron Day 2005 was unabashedly a resounding success. We hope that you had a happy and healthy holiday, and that you have enjoyed reading about ours. Have a happy new year, and we'll be seeing you in 2006.
Joining our rag-tag band of misfits this time around were friends of the Mistake by the Lake Sporting Times Scott, Max, and Mike K. Please enjoy this photo montage of our adventure.
Our first stop, as on any good pilgrimage, was to break for lunch. Boy, were we hungry! On a tip from a loyal reader, we remembered that LeBron's favorite restaurant, according to the Gund Arena Jumbotron, was Benihana. Thus, for Benihana we set sail. But alas! They were closed.
As you can see, we were quite dejected. So, we headed to the nearest Benihana-surrogate, P.F. Chang's. The waiter was a bit taken aback by our order of "Five Sprites, please."
Before long, we were very full:
Now it was time to make our way south.
We knew we would need to stock up on a few fine LeBron-endorsed products, as we had done a year earlier. We headed directly for the very same supermarket where we witnessed the First LeBron Day Miracle, the Finding of the FLAVA23. We wondered, might another LeBron Day Miracle be in store?
Praise LeBron! Last year, at least, we knew what it was we sought. But this year, an entirely new flavor of LeBron Powerade revealed itself to us! It was Sourmelon, the green FLAVA23:
After that we picked up the traditional Sprite and Fruity Pebbles and made our way to the cashier, who, for the second consecutive LeBron Day, was not amused:
Fully loaded, we sought out Portage Path Elementary School, the site of LeBron's monumental 5th grade year.
We happened upon His boyhood playground, but our full enjoyment of it was savagely thwarted by a locked gate:
Of course, as LeBron grew older, He moved down Market Street to trusty old St. Vincent St. Mary High School, where He first attained intergalactic celebrity.
Sign-sitting, however, was not the only exciting activity in store for us at SVSM. Down by the football field, and wearing my brand new LeBron James #9 high school football jersey, I was overcome by His holy spirit as I reenacted some of His greatest achievements in wide receiving while a member of the Irish gridiron squad:
Next it was time for our annual attempt to pinpoint the possible exact location of LeBron's birth. We figured, the Akron General Medical Center is a huge freakin' hospital in the middle of Akron; it very well could be the hospital where He was born--it was worth a shot!
On an internet tip, we learned that, as a child, LeBron James might have possibly maybe attended church at the House of the Lord in western Akron. So we decided to stop by their mega-complex.
The Mailbox of the Lord was quite impressive, along with some of the exterior decorations:
On our way out of town, we stopped to toast, once again, the glory of His name before the beautiful skyline of Akron:
Then, as is the custom, I poured Sprite on Corey's head:
As we trekked back toward the north, we made a pit stop in lovely Bath, Ohio, current home of LeBron James... or so we thought!
We were shocked to see His glorious castle razed to the ground. Perhaps He is having a new home built, or perhaps Carlos Boozer, in his infinite frustration, has turned to arson as an escape from the miserable torture that is his life. We suspect that for now, LeBron is passing His days in His Cleveland abode.
Finally, it was time for the last leg of our journey. Akron may be our Mecca, but the building formerly known as Gund Arena will forever be our temple:
Across Ontario Street looms a daunting effigy of King James. First, Corey attempted to appease Him with an offering of His favorite cereal:
I, in turn, cowered in fear at His awesomeness:
But the ceremony of LeBron Day can never truly be over until the celebratory Tossing of Fruity Pebbles to the Wind. This one was for you, Gunner Gatski.
Our LeBron Day pilgrimage had come to a close, and yet we were hungry for more. Corey brought hence his lifetime supply of LeBron's Lightning Lemonade and distributed rations:
Soon it was time for ice cream cake! And all rejoiced.
And it was good.
LeBron Day 2005 was unabashedly a resounding success. We hope that you had a happy and healthy holiday, and that you have enjoyed reading about ours. Have a happy new year, and we'll be seeing you in 2006.
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