Despite the weather warming up and both baseball teams performing well, two weeks ago Chicago was in full football mode. Chicago was turned into Draft Town as the NFL held its 2016 draft at the Chicago Auditorium, with other festivities in Grant Park.

Completed in 1889, the Auditorium was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. It is a spectacular combination of wonderfully ornate and comfortably modern. I heard nothing but praise from the NFL staffers and media.

In Grant Park, along with looking at the beautiful lakefront and Buckingham Fountain, you couldn’t look anywhere without seeing celebrities. Chicago’s very own Jenny McCarthy and her husband, Donnie Wahlberg, were live-chatting at the Sirius booth. Both proved to be pretty knowledgeable on football. At the WSCR booth, Tom Thayer, who played for the 1985 Super Bowl champion Bears, recalled some of those memories with the fans. Neon Deion Sanders was one of dozens of former NFL stars there to broadcast or mingle with the fans. The Draft mascot, Fumbles, and several other mascots roamed the area, talking pictures with the little NFL fans (and some of us big ones, too). I also ran into many friends, including Dominique Collins and Deena Fagiano, who were representing their Chicago Bliss football team.

This is such a great event for the fans and the city. Thousands of hotel rooms were booked for the event. Restaurants and other businesses saw a huge increase in sales. It was just one big outdoor party (and hopefully the Bears got some good players). Unfortunately, the draft is moving to another city next year. I might just have to make a roadtrip!

— John Wroblewski, online contributor