CANTON, Ohio — The Pro Football Hall of Fame Resort said the Hall of Fame Village is on schedule to have several pieces finished by enshrinement.

What You Need To Know

  • The multi-million dollar project features several new attractions around the Pro Football Hall of Fame

  • The project has faced some challenges along the way, but leaders said construction will continue

  • Uncle Bacon’s BBQ is a food truck business that sees the project as a major opportunity

David Well is the owner of Uncle Bacon’s BBQ. It’s a business he said he runs while working a full time IT job, a task he said can be tough. 

“So it’s a challenge to kind of juggle, just kind of leads and emails when you’re trying to work full time. So really, a lot of our time spent with Uncle Bacon’s is really evenings and weekends,” explained Wells.

Since starting the business in 2019, he’s been hopping in his food truck, and serving his family recipes to people all across the Canton area. Now said he’s eyeing the opening of Hall of Fame Village as a chance to cash in. 

“Especially for us being right there in north Canton, living one exit down from the Hall of Fame and having the potential to be a part of something that looks to be as big as they, you know, plan on it being,” said Wells.  

Anne Graffice with Hall of Fame Resort and Entertainment Company took Spectrum News to the top floor of the Constellation Center for Excellence. The center is part of what she said is phase two of the Hall of Fame Village construction. 

The village will include a domed Center for Performance for athletics, concerts and conventions, a fan engagement zone, a three-and-a-half acre green space called Play-Action Plaza, and a sports complex, all scheduled, she said, to be completed by enshrinement in August. Graffice said an indoor football-themed waterpark and hotel are expected to be finished by next year. Graffice said she believes this is a way to keep people using the Hall of Fame. 

“Obviously, folks come to be with us at the museum. They’re coming to play on our youth fields. They’re here for several days. What else can they do here? What else can our footprint provide that’s going to be entertainment and reasons and cause for them to actually stay for multiple hours and even multiple days?” she said.

The project has faced some challenges, like COVID-19 stalling construction. Now, sponsor Johnson Controls is trying to end two deals with the company and asking for almost $5 million. Records show both companies accuse the other of a breach in contract. However, with the future uncertain as to whether Johnson Controls will be included in the naming rights of Hall of Fame Village, the company said this won’t impact construction. 

“Businesses change. That’s just life. They are one of 30 sponsors and we continue to move down the sponsor path. So as far as our construction project is concerned, has no baring, they are not an owner of the village, quite frankly, they’re a sponsor partner, they are not an investor in our company. So the existence of this project, its ability to continue, that has no barring on that,” said Graffice.  

Back at the kitchen, Wells was joined by his parents and daughter as they continued preparing for another week of business.

“I enjoy cooking and I enjoy being around people. So one of the down sides of my IT corporate job is I’m in front of a computer all day. The upside to doing this is I”m outside cooking and interacting with people,” said Wells.

As he continues to chase his dream of making Uncle Bacon’s a household name, he said he’s ready for the Hall of Fame Village to help them take the next step and make the family business into a family success story.

 

“Any parent kind of knows with kids, especially when they go into middle and high school, your time with them is obviously very limited. So being able to do something with them that they kind of find interesting is always kind of cool,” said Wells.