ABC-7 Flyover Will Be At Bloom Friday

CHICAGO HEIGHTS, IL - The ABC-7 Friday morning flyover will come to Chicago Heights and Bloom Township High School next week. It will be the first time Bloom's dazzling new blue football field will be on display to a Chicagoland television audience.

Bloom Athletic Director Joe Reda said ABC contacted him to gauge interest in the flyover on Aug. 20 and within 25 minutes of emailing students and faculty about the possibility "ABC called and said 'we want you.'"

Every fall, ABC visits a different Chicagoland high school early Friday mornings during football season and incorporates the school and surrounding community in to their morning news broadcast. This past week, they were at north suburban Lake Zurich High School.

Certain community members will join school leaders of students from several organizations like the marching band, ROTC and fall sports teams in a coordinated effort at the school's Sarff Field at 5 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 14.

"What they (ABC) are asking for is a formation that you could not create generically, it has to be orchestrated," Reda said. "We have it to a point where it is going to be a good thing for ABC-7, School District 206, Chicago Heights and everyone involved."

One of the news station's air vehicles will fly over Sarff Field three times and a reporter will be on the ground interviewing students and teachers, Reda said.

In previous flyover events, those on the field would spell out the school's nickname, make the American flag or produce some other sort of creative formation. Last year, ABC visited nearby Homewood-Flossmoor High School for one of their flyover events.

For Bloom, the effort will be extra special since they will be able to sport their new blue football field, which Reda says has received attention throughout the region and around the country.

"People have told me in non-school settings, on Facebook on Twitter how gorgeous the field looks," said Reda, who credited the idea to install a blue football field to District 206 Superintendent Dr. Lenell Navarre.

"They had a plan in place, we broke ground in April and were blue by August."

The field has the distinction of being the only non-green woven turf high school football field in the United States.

"That's also thanks to Mayor (David) Gonzalez and the city of Chicago Heights," Reda said. "Without the support from the mayor or the city, I don't think we would have been able to pull this off."

Photo courtesy of Mary Compton