Mayor: Bears ‘love’ Wolf Lake Pavilion; franchise will decide stadium timing

Responding to a rumor the Bears would build a stadium where the Pavilion sits, Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. said city discussions with team officials indicate the franchise "love[s] the pavilion" and that the Pavilion is likely to remain part of Hammond. "They both love it," he said of two team representatives he named, and added the city is discussing future festival sites and options.

The mayor cautioned he cannot control the franchise’s public timetable: "The Bears are driving this bus, and the Bears are gonna announce when the Bears are comfortable." He described the prospect of a stadium as a multi‑billion‑dollar, multi‑year opportunity but declined to provide a firm schedule, saying any timing would be announced by the team.