Bobblehead Mania “Roars” into Giant Center

Let’s start with a definition. 

Immortalize – to confer enduring fame upon.

Using it in a sentence, “He will be forever immortalized in the history books.”

Here in Hershey, we can change that definition to a photo of Mike Vecchione. 

Well, maybe a bobblehead after Tuesday night. 

Forever molded in resin and plastic, Mike Vecchione’s signature “roar” will live on in Hershey, and there is no doubt fans will make sure of it.

The crowd Tuesday at Giant Center began showing up just after 2pm to wait in line for a “Roaring Veccs.”

By 5pm the line stretched to the parking lot and well past the first 4,000 people to be handed bobbleheads as they walked in the door. 

Watching the fans unbox some of their keepsakes elicited a wide array of reactions: smiles, speechlessness and of course, a “roar.” 

Ginette Prendergast made the trip up from Gettysburg.  She wasn’t going to miss a chance to get her favorite player and support a fellow Massachusetts native in Vecchione. Upon opening the box she reenacted the Vecchione “roar.”

Prendergast arrived at 4pm and when asked about the wait, she said it was “absolutely worth it.”

Camp Hill resident Robby Rhinehart echoed those same feelings as he opened his mini Veccs.

“Very nice, very well done Hershey,” he continued, “got the roar stance pretty good.”

“It’s a cool bobblehead, there was a lot of hype over the Hunter Shepard bobblehead but this one is even cooler,” Lebanon’s Todd Fetzer said with a smile.

Yes Tuesday night was fun, even in a loss because nights like Tuesday are the reason why fans and this local community love their Bears. 

It’s a connection that goes well beyond the wins and losses. 

Just ask bobblehead Veccs. I am sure he will nod in agreement.