All remaining stops on the Trail Blazers Summer Tour have been canceled
Kia Motors Presents: Summer Tour Leg 2 Map
In 1970, Harry Glickman sent Bill Schonely on the road with the following marching orders – ‘Put a radio network together!’
The Schonz put on his sales hat and recruited 13 affiliates that year and the Trail Blazers Broadcast Network was born. Now at 20 stations, including new Portland flagship, “The Game,” the Network also includes Comcast Sports Net NW and network television affiliates in Portland, Medford and Eugene.
In homage to Schonely, the Trail Blazers will renew a summer tradition by visiting each out of market affiliate during a four-week summer-long journey throughout Oregon and Southwestern Washington.
The Trail Blazers “Make It Better” Statewide Summer Tour, presented by Kia Motors, will visit 19 communities throughout Oregon & Washington, covering more than 2,000 miles in a 2008 Kia Sedona to host free kids’ basketball clinics and visit with fans, broadcast affiliates and corporate partners.
Also supported by Providence Health & Services and Nike, the tour will feature visits from Trail Blazers broadcasters Mike Barrett, Mike Rice and Antonio Harvey as well as senior executives, Trail Blazers alumni and Blaze the Trail Cat. The Trail Blazers and Kia will partner with local service organizations at each locale to provide free basketball clinics for as many of 5,000 kids, ages 7-13, during the tour. Providence Health & Services, one of the Trail Blazers’ newest corporate partners, will talk to kids at each clinic about guidelines for healthy living.
The Statewide Summer Tour is part of the Trail Blazers continued commitment to “Make It Better.” Under the “Make It Better” umbrella, Trail Blazers community outreach programs touched more than 93,000 people in Oregon and SW Washington during the 2007-08 season.
At every stop on the tour, visit here for updates, photos and highlights from what is sure to be a wild ride.
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The second leg of the Make It Better Statewide Summer Tour presented by Kia is underway.
We gathered early Tuesday for a four-day Eastern Oregon adventure to The Dalles, Pendleton, Burns and John Day.
With the exception of Vice President of Broadcasting and Production, Dick Vardanega, who attended the first leg of the tour, we were rookies on the Statewide Summer Tour scene. I joined Community Relations Coordinator Brittany Davidson, Group Ticket Sales Manager Lisa Swan and the undisputed stars of our show, Trail Blazers Ambassadors Jerome Kersey and Kevin Duckworth. >>>continue
Making it Better: Pendleton
We showed up at the Rec Center in Pendleton to not one, but two reader board greetings. Once again, I led warm-ups and stretching to get the 100 campers – who were decked out in ‘Bucs’ gear - limbered up.
Other than a broken light bulb, the clinic went without a hitch and the kids had fun. Toward the conclusion of camp, Dick, Lisa and I signed a few autographs. Maybe our John Hancock’s will be worth something someday; traveling with Duck and Jerome gives us star status! >>>continue
Our third day of the tour started with a hot & hearty
continental breakfast in Burns, Oregon.
Under the impression that our clinic would be on a half-court
outside of a Boys & Girls Club, we were relieved to find that we had
been relocated to Slater Middle School. >>>continue
Making it Better: John Day
The last day of the second week of our Kia Motors Presents: Trail
Blazers Make It Better Statewide Summer Tour began with a 7:30 a.m.
breakfast with the director of John Day's parks & rec and his family. >>>continue
