Bengals all-time passing leader Ken Anderson is a busy man as he prepares for his "Bengals Kickoff 2012" event at Fountain Square in a free fanfest when the Bengals open their season in Baltimore on ESPN Monday night, Sept. 10.
The day before he's the guest host at Dickmann's Sports Café in Fort Wright, Ky., of a charity event to select Greater Cincinnati's "Best Bengal Ride." Anderson has invited his teammates and they'll be available for autographs in a pre-party for the Monday event. Both raise money to develop a work-life community for individuals with autism in the Greater Cincinnati Region.
The Sunday festivities run from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at Dickmann's, 479 Orphanage Rd., where entries in the contest must be a motorized vehicle with an orange and black color scheme. Pre-registration is encouraged and can be done so at Dickmann's. Registration can also happen the day of the event but parking spaces are limited. There is a registration fee of a minimum donation of $25 to Impact Autism.
Vehicles are encouraged to bring their grills to compete in the Bluegrass Quality Meats Cookoff. The meat and buns will be provided; you just grill them, add your favorite toppings and sell them to patrons for donations. The "Tailgater" that raises the most money will win the Bluegrass quality Meat Cookoff. There are also split the pot raffles as well as a silent auction of unique items.
The Kickoff on the Square begins the next day at 4:45 p.m. with appearances by Anderson and several former teammates headlined by Anthony Muñoz and Isaac Curtis in a free event sponsored by the Bengals, Impact Autism, Fifth Third and Necco. There is food ranging from Montgomery Inn to UDF and entertainment ranging from mascots, the Reds T-shirt blasters, the Naked Karate Girls, and the Ben-Gals. The main event is the Bengals game against the Ravens on the big screen at 7 p.m.
