Over 1,100 attend Packers Welcome Back Luncheon

GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) - Packers players and fans came together at Lambeau Field Thursday for the Greater Green Bay Chamber's annual Welcome Back Packers Luncheon.

More than 1,100 community members attended, getting the chance to share a table and conversation with Packers players without knowing beforehand who would be joining them.

“You never know who you're going to get,” Green Bay resident Todd Fuerst said. “So that's half the excitement.”

Fuerst ended up sitting with rookie wide receiver Isaiah Neyor, helping him figure out how to get a Wisconsin fishing license and offering some restaurant recommendations.

A few tables away, Ed Piwonski of Gresham was waiting with his grandchildren. Before the players arrived, he said he wasn't hoping for anyone in particular.

“No, just anybody,” Piwonski said. “It's enjoyable, whoever I'm talking to. And then my grandkids, they love it. So that's the main thing.”

That “anybody” ended up being Packers quarterback Jordan Love.

Piwonski said he had dreamed the night before that Love would sit with his family.

“I manifested,” Piwonski said. “I had a dream that he was coming here last night to sit with us. I'm serious. And here he showed up.”

The two talked about football, family and life, an interaction Piwonski said he'll remember most because he got to experience it alongside his grandchildren.

Some Packers rookies also made a memorable entrance dressed as Teletubbies, while linebacker Edgerrin Cooper received the Community Service Award for his work with local schools, youth programs and nonprofits.

Head coach Matt LaFleur also addressed the crowd as he prepares for his eighth season leading the Packers.

For Piwonski, the luncheon remains about much more than which player ends up at his table.

“It's really wonderful because you're building memories,” Piwonski said. “And what better way to build a memory than with the Packers?”