ORLANDO, Fla. — Thousands of football fans packed into Camping World Stadium on Saturday to celebrate this year's annual Florida Classic.
The historic game between Florida A&M University and Bethune Cookman University is celebrating 25 years of being held in Orlando.
What You Need To Know
- The annual Florida Classic between Florida A&M and Bethune Cookman Universities celebrated 25 years of being held in Orlando this weekend
- The event held at Camping World Stadium provided an opportunity to for local businesses and vendors
- According to event organizers, the Classic generates an economic impact of $30 million in Central Florida
"I love that there's so many people," said Turner Davis.
Turner and Garron Davis are brothers who grew up in Central Florida.
Coming to the Classic has been a longtime tradition, but over the last few years, this weekend has meant even more to them recently.
"The opportunity to be here is beautiful," Turner said.
The Sanford natives own a business called Mr. Custom Wood.
It's a passion and skill allowing them to create jewelry, artwork, and other wood engravings.
This year's Classic is their second time serving as vendors outside the game.
"First year we came out, it was simple wood squares we were making. Then we just started upgrading and getting the process better," Turner explained.
According to event organizers, the Classic generates an economic impact of $30 million in Central Florida.
For the Davis Brothers, the game represents a chance to share their hard work with the community and visitors while also increasing sales.
"We don't see this much," said Garron while pointing to crowds entering Camping World. "I don't see this at all, but look at all these people having a good time with each other. This is fantastic," he continued.
Something they'll also be able to look forward to over the next few years is that Florida Blue announced Orlando will host the Classic through at least 2026.
That means Turner and Garron will plan on coming back as well.
Their goal is to keep growing, and the Classic helps with that next step.
"It's just the beginning," said Garron.