Turf Troubles at Soldier Field Cause Event Cancellation

By Samantha Abernethy in News on Aug 6, 2011 6:45PM

Scores of fans were left standing outside of Soldier Field Friday night after Bears Family Fest was canceled later than last minute. The event was scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m., but organizers waited until 5:45 p.m. to announce the event would be canceled. As many as 10,000 fans were furious after they fought the Lollapalooza crowds to get out to Soldier Field.

Sun-Times writes:

LeFevour said the field conditions were not a result of the U2 concert July 5 or the Manchester United-Fire soccer game July 23. And he promised that the field would be ready for the Bears’ preseason opener against the Bills next Saturday.

‘‘It was a miscalculation on our grounds crew’s part,’’ he said. ‘‘We did not put enough water on the field. I’m not going to try and sugar-coat that in any way. And because of that, the seams [from the resodding after the U2 concert] opened up today.

‘‘We know what the problem is. We’re going to correct it before next week, and it’s going to be ready to go.’’

Sure, afterward they opened the gates and offered free refreshments and a fireworks show. And ticket and parking fees were refunded. But that's a hell of a trip just for the Bears to turn around and head back to Bourbonnais for a private practice.

Brian Urlacher was pissed, too. "It's a joke," Urlacher told the Tribune. "I don't understand (why) they can't have the field ready. It sucks for the fans because I'm sure it was a pain in the butt to get down there with the all traffic and everything. I think coach (Lovie Smith) did the right thing in not letting us practice on that stuff."