GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – As the Packers prepare to open their regular season Friday in Brazil, fans here at home are taking part in an annual Green Bay tradition.
Noon on Labor Day can only mean one thing in the shadows of Lambeau Field.
“Go Pack Go!” That’s how Packers fans kicked off a Labor Day right of passage in Titletown.
“It’s crazy because not everyone would be able to bring their kids to this. Living in a small town like this, no other NFL city out there does this tradition, and it’s unreal,” said John Juckem of Ledgeview.
Ava Swink of De Pere added, “It was really fun and I felt like it was an honor for the Packers.”
Juckem and Swink are just two of the dozens of Packers fans picking up a paint brush, dipping it in green and painting the official Packers fence across from Lambeau Field.
“My mother used to do this year after year and I always had to work, so she’s since passed, I didn’t have to work, so I thought I’ll just take her spot,” said Cheryl Zehms of De Pere, a first time painter.
The fence at 1177 Shadow Lane is a historical landmark, now owned by the family of Fred Harrsch, who died in 2022.
Harrsch’s family said they are proud to continue welcoming fans to the beloved fence, year after year. Fred’s nephew, Peter Harrsch, added, “It’s just a great day for the community to come together and help support the Packers by coming and helping and coming and supporting this long tradition of painting our fence here.”
Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy, who will be retiring in 2025, picked up a paint brush of his own to help too — joking that this is not his farewell tour, but instead his swan song.
“It’s a great tradition. And those of us who got to know Fred over the years knew how much it meant to him and it’s great to have it continue and I’m really honored that I’m a part of this tradition,” said Murphy.
But Murphy is more than just a part of the tradition this year. The 2024-2025 fence slogan bares his name. It reads: “Draft Dreams on Murphy’s Turf.”
“It’s a huge year for Green Bay with the 2025 Draft coming here, but it’s equally as important because it’s Mark Murphy’s last year. So, we wanted to combine the two to just honor the draft, but also to take this opportunity to honor Mark Murphy for doing everything he’s done for the Packers, the community and the town of Green Bay,” added Harrsch.
Officially finished with the paint job, fans are not only excited to cheer on the Packers this year, but they also appreciate the significance of the season.
Julie Caldie of Ashwaubenon said, “It’s a very special year for Mark Murphy, the draft. It’s just the best!”
As is tradition, the Harrsch family says the fence slogan will stay up through next year’s draft in Green Bay, and they are thinking about coming up with ways to get fans who come to the draft involved with this Packers tradition.
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