The Metrodome's final days: What you need to know
The Vikings wrap up 32 seasons at the Metrodome this weekend, playing their final game in the stadium Sunday. The dome is due to be demolished starting Jan. 18, and replaced in time for the 2016 season. Crews may start dismantling seats early Monday morning.
Here's a quick look at what to expect in the coming days and what's ahead.
Weekend basics
The Minnesota Vikings are preparing events to mark the end of the team's Metrodome era. They include an invitation-only tour and program at the Metrodome Saturday night for about 7,000 season ticket holders.
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On Sunday, after the game against the Detroit Lions, the team will have a ceremony to mark the end of play in the Metrodome. Vikings legends Matt Birk and Robert Smith are expected to attend.
The ceremony is still a work in progress, said Vikings spokesman Jeff Anderson. "We do know that Bud Grant will be the final speaker and will officially close out the building," he said, adding Grant will probably "blow his coaching whistle one last time, and we'll show a short memories video of the facility and Vikings memories."
What you can see/get
The Vikings say there are no plans to broadcast the ceremony live either on television or the web. The Vikings do plan to have a recap of the ceremony on their website and the ceremony may be broadcast live as part of local radio coverage of the game. The Vikings are also handing out commemorative pennants and selling collectible game programs at the stadium.
Good seats available
The Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority has agreed to allow a Fridley sign company to remove and prepare the Metrodome's seats for purchase by fans, collectors and other sports facilities. Seats will be available only on a pre-order, pre-paid basis, and pick-up will be by appointment only. They'll cost $40 for non-profits, like schools, and $60 for the general public. The contractor says single seats will be available.
"For anything where a fan would like a specific seat, where they say you know, I always sat in section 105 Row 10 and I would like seat F. They'll take that out at a cost of $80 for a specific seat," said Michele Kelm-Helgen, chair of the stadium authority. The authority will get $10 of the proceeds from some seats.
Check the authority's website for details on ordering and paying.
Mayhem discouraged
Can I tear out some turf, like I did at the old Met Stadium? No, you can't. Vikings spokesman Jeff Anderson says that fans will be banned from removing anything from the stadium as memorabilia.
The team and the city of Minneapolis are bringing in extra security and extra police to make sure the end of the Vikings stay in the stadium is orderly as fans leave. In other words, no Met Center melees.
Vikings' next stop
The Vikings will move to TCF Bank stadium on the University of Minnesota campus for the next two seasons. That stadium has about 50,000 seats, compared to the 64,000 seats in the Metrodome. The team's $1 billion new home will be built on the site where the Metrodome sits now. It's due to open in July of 2016.
Worried about your tailgating ritual? The team hopes to move the pre-game celebrations to the U campus for games starting next season. "We expect there to be tailgating similar to what you would see at a Gophers football game," said Anderson. "We don't want to take away the tradition, and we hope that we'll be able to continue it for those two years."
The team and the city of Minneapolis are still working out how to accommodate tailgaters when the team moves into its new home, where the Metrodome now stands, he added.
Photos: 10 memorable Metrodome moments
