John Deere Rolls Into Party Town

The Waterloo Black Hawks’ annual John Deere Weekend  is this weekend inside Young Arena. The team will wear special sweaters both Friday & Saturday.

The Black Hawks will play the Sioux Falls Stampede on Friday, January 29th and Saturday, 30th. Following the Saturday's game, a jersey auction will take place benefiting two youth-oriented organizations, the Hawks announced Thursday.

For the ninth consecutive season, Deere & Company has teamed up with the Hawks to make a difference in the Cedar Valley when Waterloo takes the ice in special Deere sweaters. This season’s unique design will be up for bid after the game on the 30th to raise money for Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Iowa.

“We applaud John Deere for the ways they and their employees make a difference in the Cedar Valley every day,” noted Black Hawks Vice President of Sales and Marketing Joe Greene. “The Black Hawks are proud of this tradition and proud to wear Deere’s colors. All over the world people know these colors stand for quality.”

While profits from past Deere jersey auctions have always benefited community organizations, this will be the first time Junior Achievement or Big Brothers Big Sisters has been a recipient of the proceeds. Junior Achievement helps introduce real-world business concepts to students with the goal of inspiring them to seek academic and career success. John Deere was instrumental in founding the Cedar Valley Junior Achievement chapter during the 1970’s. Big Brothers Big Sisters helps to grow mentor relationships by matching youths with adult volunteers. Research indicates children and young adults participating in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program are statistically less likely to try drugs, skip school, or react violently to a stressful situation.

This season’s primarily white Deere jersey features the 9620RX model tractor prominently on the chest. A yellow stripe runs up the sleeves and down the flanks of the jersey, while four green bands wrap around the arms between the shoulder and wrist. Twin Black Hawks logos appear on the top of the shoulders, while John Deere’s familiar green and gold emblem is positioned on the left sleeve. White numbers on the outside of the shoulders and green digits on the back of the sweater are outlined in gold. Player names appear in green.

All fans in attendance during John Deere Weekend are encouraged to visit the John Deere Tractor & Engine Museum at 500 Westfield Avenue, just blocks from Young Arena. Anyone displaying their Deere Weekend Black Hawks ticket between January 30th and February 6th will receive half off the regular price of museum admission. For more details about the Tractor & Engine Museum, call (319) 292-6126.

Hockey tickets for John Deere employees and their families are just $8 for the matchups against Sioux Falls on January 29th and 30th. To order, call the Domino’s Black Hawks Box Office at (319) 291-7680. Additional details are also available online from waterlooblackhawks.com.