Super Bowl events in Somerset County connect game to local destinations

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The Vince Lombardi Trophy in September. The original 1967 Vince Lombardi Trophy will be the centerpiece of an exhibit at the Newark Museum from January through March, where on Jan. 28 an indoor tailgate party will follow Super Bowl Media Day.

(John Munson/The Star-Ledger)

BEDMINSTER — It may seem odd at first to connect the Super Bowl to a historic site tied to the American Revolution.

One is a sports event of global proportions, and the other is a colonial-era house where a Revolutionary War general lived while overseeing America’s first military training academy.

But the unlikely union between the upcoming Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford and the Jacobus Vanderveer House and Museum in Bedminster is part of how Somerset County tourism officials are tapping into the pigskin matchup to draw people to area attractions and local organizations.

“At first glance, it might seem somewhat unorthodox, but…it’s definitely a way for us to think outside the box and…reach out to new audiences,” said Sean Blinn, president of the board of trustees for the Friends of the Jacobus Vanderveer House.

With about a month to go before the Super Bowl on Feb. 2, Somerset County businesses are presenting a series of special events and offers for both residents and visitors alike. A new website – thebiggamenj.com – has been launched to direct people to local hotels, restaurants and other destinations.

Beyond the standard tourism-oriented attractions, the marketing campaign also aims to highlight education-related efforts, including an after-school program in Bound Brook.

“It’s kind of a great way for visitors to have a true Somerset County experience and for residents to maybe explore a business or two that they haven’t really gotten to know yet in the area,” said Jacqueline Morales, director of tourism at the Somerset County Business Partnership, which has organized the campaign.

In addition to that campaign, the NY/NJ Super Bowl Host Committee’s “Join the Huddle Tour” will be making a stop on Monday at the Branchburg Sports Complex.

MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford will host Super Bowl XLVIII on Feb. 2.

At the free event, which will run from 3 to 7 p.m., visitors will be able to participate in football training drills, view the Vince Lombardi Trophy, which is awarded to the Super Bowl winner, and tour a locker room filled with New York Giants and New York Jets memorabilia.

“This is gonna be a great event for residents of Somerset County…and other neighboring counties,” said Mark Lauber, founder and president of the Branchburg Sports Complex.

As part of the local campaign, the Branchburg Sports Complex and the Jacobus Vanderveer House and Museum are among the organizations that will provide special events and offers through a program called the “Passport to the Big Game.”

Under that program, which runs from Jan. 9 to Feb. 1, participants will be able to submit a contest entry form each time they visit a featured destination. The top prize in the contest is a luxury golf package valued at $2,500.

For their roles in the passport program, the Branchburg Sports Complex will be offering admission deals and the Jacobus Vanderveer House and Museum will host a Feb. 1 event, where visitors can learn about colonial-era games.

In addition to more traditional tourism spots – such as hotels and the United States Golf Association Museum in Bernards Township – the passport destinations also will include an after-school program run by a Bridgewater-based, non-profit organization called Middle Earth.

Middle Earth, which operates a variety of youth programs, will hold a passport event on Jan. 22 at a school in Bound Brook, where the group runs the 21st Century Community Learning Center for children in grades 4 to 8.

The event will give the children a chance to “shine” and showcase the work they do in the program, including video productions and art projects, said Maria Strada, executive director of Middle Earth.

“I think it’s nice to see what other communities are doing. I mean, maybe if a visitor came and saw some of the programs we have, they might say, ‘Wow, that’s great. Maybe we can replicate that in our community,’” Strada said. “You never know what could happen.”

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