Daily Norseman, a Minnesota Vikings community

No matter how old or how young you are, there's just something great about football. In that spirit, the Minnesota Vikings will have a Family Day at the 2012 Training Camp at Minnesota State University, Mankato with family-friendly activities all day long. On Saturday, August 4, there will be a Jr. Training Camp and a Jr. Cheerleader Clinic. Both events are free to children of all ages. Registration forms for the events are available online. Families will also enjoy the Night Practice at Blakeslee Stadium at 7:00pm, Team Introductions following the practice at 9:30pm, and fireworks at 9:45pm. Make your plans now so your family can spend a day with the Vikings!

After a long off season, football is nearly here. The Minnesota Vikings will report to training camp on July 26 and activities start July 27 in Mankato, Minnesota. Because so many of the events at Training Camp are open to the public and free, it is a great chance to bring the whole family out to get a much-needed dose of football this summer. This link will take you to all the Training Camp info you need to plan your trip to Mankato. Don't miss out on the activities for kids like the Junior Training Camp or the Youth Cheerleading Clinic--both events are free!

This interesting tidbit was in St. Paul's Pioneer Press yesterday. Apparently, former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton likes what he sees from rookie quarterback Christian Ponder. In a season that hasn't given fans a lot of hope, hearing that Tarkenton thinks Ponder has what it takes to be a good NFL quarter back for years to come is a much-needed shot of hope that the franchise has a critical piece of the puzzle in place so it can build for the future. Vikings fans can use all the hope and cheer they can get this season. NOTE: Cobra312004 posted a FanShot about this yesterday. I'm late to the party.

Video and story chronicling Donovan McNabb’s interaction with Viking fans in Mankato.

It seems that every other day Minnesota Vikings fans have a new reason to wonder and doubt whether it is possible for the Vikings to get a new stadium built in Minnesota. For every hurdle the team clears there seems to be a new one just waiting for them. That sort of thing has a tendency to make me despondent, but, according to my favorite writer at the St. Paul Pioneer Press, we all need to settle down and take a deep breath. Tom Powers believes that the Vikings are very close to getting a new stadium and that getting huffy and obnoxious at each delay is not going to endear the team to Minnesota legislators. It's an interesting read because this is one of the first things I've read that suggests a Vikings stadium is highly likely. It makes for a nice change from the doom and gloom we usually hear.