Philly's Birds take flight

The city of Philadelphia may be entering the dog days of summer, but to Eagles fans, that just means that football season is right around the corner.

And to mark the annual return of NFL football, Eagles Flight Night 2010 will take place tonight beginning at 5 p.m. at Lincoln Financial Field.

The second annual installment of the event — which benefits the Eagles Youth Partnership (EYP), “the charitable wing of the Philadelphia Eagles” in the words of executive director Sarah Martinez-Helfman — will give fans the chance to see the revamped roster on their home turf for the first time.

A live practice is the main attraction of Flight Night, and the main addition to its predecessor, Eagles Carnival & Auction. The carnival had previously served as EYP’s primary annual fundraiser from 1995 to 2008, offering the games and autograph sessions that are now just a small part of Flight Night’s program.

“There are lots of fans and only so many players so we had to limit the number of fans who could enter and have an experience of the team at the stadium,” Martinez-Helfman said of the carnival. “We took a look at creating an event that could create access for lots and lots of Eagles fans who might never have a chance to go to an Eagles game. And to make that event feel like a game night.”

Indeed, everything that takes place on the field has the feel of an actual game night, though the team won’t play an official game until August 13, the start of the preseason, or a regular season game until September 12.

Before the intra-squad scrimmage begins, parachuters will land on the 50-yard-line, the players will run out from the tunnel and the national anthem will be sung. Even during the practice, fans will see the familiar sight of cheerleaders dancing on the sidelines, and hear the familiar sound of lead announcer Merrill Reese’s voice booming throughout the stadium.

Yet Flight Night is as much about the off-the-field fun, which is designed to be “affordable [and] family-friendly” according to Martinez-Helfman. The event will include a live band, a free interactive zone for children, games with prizes, random prize giveaways and a fireworks finale.

At a price of just 10 dollars for children and 20 for adults, “it’s like going to the movies,” Martinez-Helfman said, “but it’s much more entertaining.”

The EYP’s fundraising event has also raised over one million dollars each of the last three years. The organization was founded in 1995 by Eagles owners Jeffrey and Christina Lurie, and focuses on “children’s health and education in the region, especially low-income kids who are facing a lot of hurdles.”

As part of EYP’s Playground Build, members of the Eagles organization have revitalized an inner city playground at a different location for each of the past 13 years, including three West Philadelphia schools: Drew Elementary at 38th and Powelton in 2002, Heston Elementary at 54th and Lancaster in 2006 and Bryant Elementary at 60th and Cedar in 2008.

The organization’s director is also closely tied to Penn. Martinez-Helfman has three siblings and one nephew who attended the school, including a brother Bob who has worked in the Office of Budget and Management Analysis for 30 years.

“We have a soft spot for Penn,” Martinez-Helfman said.

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