Birthday party in Canton

Birthday party in Canton

Canton Repository: Football’s past, present and future come together here this year.

Canton is always the center of the football universe for a few days each summer. But this year, the sport’s past, present and future will come together here in a spectacular way.

This is the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 50th anniversary year, and it’s the perfect reason for the biggest reunion ever of enshrinees.

At last count, more than 90 Hall of Famers had said they’ll be here Aug. 2-4, including for the Aug. 3 enshrinement of the Class of 2013. Officials say they ultimately expect 130, which will easily top the 40th anniversary celebration, when 111 enshrinees returned.

A community event

What an opportunity this will be for Canton and Stark County to celebrate — and to share with what likely will be a record number of visitors — a bond between the Hall of Fame and the community that has never been stronger.

The most visible commitment that visitors and returning enshrinees will see, of course, is the hall’s 33,000-square-foot expansion and equally large renovation, which will bring nearly 100 years of football history into a stunning 21st-century setting.

Everyone who loves Canton and football and the history they’ve made together is looking forward to August — and beyond. The Hall of Fame’s expansion project, after all, is called “Future 50.”