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Local businessowner, father heading to Super Bowl

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XENIA — Kelly Jones’ first trip to Los Angeles will be a memorable one.

Jones, a lifelong Bengals backer and long-time season ticket holder was one of the lucky fans to score a pair of Super Bowl tickets in a lottery conducted by the team. Jones, who operates an insurance agency in Xenia, will head out west with her father, Dan, Friday to begin what they both call a “once in a lifetime” opportunity.

“I didn’t think we had a chance,” Kelly Jones said. “(But) I had been waiting for the email.”

She splurged and upgraded their seats to a lower section and purchased a package that includes airfare, hotel accommodations, and transportation to and from the game and the various events. At first Dan Jones wasn’t sure he would take the trip.

“He was like, no,’ ” Kelly Jones said. “Then my mom called me back and said he’s going.”

Dan Jones wasn’t sure if he really needed to go.

”She ought to take somebody more her own age,” he said of his thought process. “My wife (Cheryl), and my other daughters (Julie and Lisa) got a hold of me and said yes you can and yes you are. They said you’ll never get the chance to do this again, most likely.”

And that was that.

“They said you could have heard her (screaming with excitement) all over Xenia,” Dan Jones said.

While in LA, they will get to attend the Bud Light Super Bowl Music Fest, the Super Bowl Experience, Barney’s Beanery, which is the official Bengals team house, and other pregame hospitality events, all within Evan McPherson’s field goal range of SoFi Stadium.

“We’re pretty excited,” Kelly Jones said.

Especially her father, a fan “ever since forever” who never once wavered in his support for the team that was often the butt of many jokes.

“Didn’t wear the (paper) bag over my head or nothing like that when we went,” he said. “When it’s a team you’ve been rooting for and they’ve been the underdogs, it’s amazing. You can’t explain it. You kind of feel like you’re kind of part of them and know them. This is just taking it from plain old Bengals to Super Bowl Bengals. That’s exciting for everybody.”

It won’t be the first big-game experience for Dan Jones, however. He went to an Ohio State bowl game in Florida through the Buckeye Club a few years ago.

“Oh my gosh, you felt like you were a rock star,” he said. “That’s what I’m looking forward to, being with people that are excited about something. Everyone I’ve talked to is so excited for us.”

In case anyone wants to look for them on TV, they will be wearing Bengals colors.

By Scott Halasz

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Contact Scott Halasz at 937-502-4507.