KANSAS CITY — Unlike Nashville, it has been a small trickle of Bengal fans coming into Kansas City.
But now they’re there in large numbers decked out in black and orange to see if Cincinnati can make it to the Super Bowl for the first time since the 1988 season.
“This is great. Feels like home right here in Kansas City,” Scott Barhost of Fort Loramie told News Center 7′s James Rider.
At the Bengals fan party, a familiar face was on hand. Running back Ickey Woods who played for the team when they made the Super Bowl more than 30 years ago.
>> AFC Championship game between Cincinnati Bengals, Kansas City Chiefs to air on WHIO-TV Sunday
It’s a different feeling this time around for the popular Bengal. He gets to help create a lot of memories.
“It’s a lot more for me to experience it as a fan because I get to come out and mingle with the crowd and everything,” said Woods.
Woods is also taking pictures and donations for the Jovante Woods Foundation, which he created in honor of his son he lost to asthma.
Former Ben-Gal cheerleader Laura Vikmanis was also present. Vikmanis is a Fairmont Graduate and was the oldest cheerleader in National Football League history, at 40 years of age when she joined in 2009.
“Why would I not come to this? We’re going to the Super Bowl. The stars are aligning,” Vikmanis said.
Most fans got to their hotels on Saturday, some late Friday night. Most decisions to make the trip are similar, but when they made the choice varied.
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Joe Simon of Enon said that his family has been Bengals fans for a long time. Simon said he isn’t sure when he will ever get the chance to see a game like this again.
Caryn Scott of Cincinnati said her decision was somewhat spontaneous and a 10-hour drive and blizzard later she found herself in Kansas City. Scott said she is having a good time and enjoys being around the hype.
Fans cannot wait for this game and there is confidence unlike years past. If you mentioned the Super Bowl to fans at the start of the season, it would have seemed unlikely.
The Bengals and Chiefs will meet in the AFC Championship Game Sunday in Kansas City, with kickoff set for 3 p.m. and the game airing on WHIO-TV.