I take my son to Twins Fest every year and I'm always impressed by the turnout of baseball-hungry fans at the spring-can't-get-here-fast-enough celebration. Yeah, I know attendance was down a bit this year, but that'll happen when your team loses 195 games in two seasons. This year we went on Sunday – the final day of Twins Fest in what might turn out to be the final time the Metrodome hosts the event. After my son got Joe Mauer's autograph and before he got Miguel Sano's autograph, we strolled the jam-packed aisles of collectibles. He was looking for Bryce Harper and Mike Trout rookie cards while I eyed stuff I didn't need like a green seat from old Metropolitan Stadium and an Alan Page bobble-head.

After seeing all the Vikings memorabilia interspersed with the baseball stuff, it hit me: why isn't there a Vikings Fest? You know… a Vikings version of Twins Fest. Surely I'm not the first one to think of this, right? This thought has had to occur to others before me, maybe even the guy standing next to me looking at the Fran Tarkenton autographed jersey. A few hours later, as I carefully navigated my way down the icy, slushy streets of downtown Minneapolis I was convinced the Vikings should have their own team festival. After all, if the Twins can lure thousands of fans to trudge through the snow for Twins Fest, surely the Vikings could do even better over a late spring/early summer weekend. Then I wondered: why don't any NFL teams hold a team festival of some kind? As far as I know, none of them do. There has to be a good reason because it seems like a no-brainer. What was I missing? The NFL reigns supreme as the most popular American sport and shows little inkling of imminent decline despite what Bernard Pollard might think. A Vikings Fest would undoubtedly be an annual hit among fans of the Purple, regardless of their on-field success, and would do a lot of good for the Vikings Children's Fund or whatever charity they choose. The team has sold out a million straight games at one of the worst stadiums in existence and virtually every television in the state is tuned to the Vikings game on Sundays during the season. Fans can't get enough of them. Such was the genesis of this VikesCentric post. So as a public service to the thousands (or at least dozens) of people who have also wondered why there isn't a Vikings Fest, I decided I'd check with the Vikings and ask if they'd ever considered such an event. I received a quick response from the good folks at Winter Park, and what they told me made a lot of sense. It was pointed out to me that the Vikings do in fact host many fan-friendly events every year that raise money for the Vikings Children's Fund. In fact, there's one coming up in a few weeks – the "Arctic Blast" Snowmobile Rally on Feb. 9-10. The Vikings Draft party in April is their largest annual gathering and I was told the team is "in discussions about expanding the typical Thursday night event during the first round of the NFL Draft with a second event that will be open to a broader array of fans on that Saturday." That sounds promising. They always have current and former players mingling with fans at the Draft Party, signing autographs and posing for photos. But an expansion of the event could get fans closer to a Vikings Fest kind of vibe. I was also reminded the Vikings host the "Ride for Life" Motorcycle Rally, the VCF Golf Tournament and the "Bowl with the Vikings" night. In addition, they have a "Taste of the Vikings" event that'll set you back $150 if you want a ticket (last year's price). But they get pretty much the entire roster at the event and it benefits their "Summer Lunch Program," a partnership with Second Harvest Heartland that I'm told has provided millions of meals for underserved children in the metro area. These are all great events that raise a lot of money for worthy causes. Nope, the Vikings don't have an actual "Vikings Fest," but there's no shortage of opportunities for fans of the Purple to interact with their favorite football team. Oh and then there's training camp. Every year, 50,000 to 60,000 Helga Horn-adorned fans make the trek to Mankato to watch practices and get autographs. By this point of my exchange with Vikings headquarters I was feeling a little defeated. My Vikings Fest idea seemed like a moot point. But then, toward the end of our email conversation, I was told that the team is "discussing internally the creation of an additional fan-friendly fundraising event for the VCF. Those conversations will continue moving forward." A-ha! Could there be a Vikings Fest in the offing? Maybe when the new stadium opens? It seems a little superfluous given all the other events on the Vikings slate, but I still think the idea has merit. They might not need it, but I have no doubt it would be huge. What say you, Vikings fans? Would a Vikings version of Twins Fest interest you? If so, when and where would you like to see it held? Bo Mitchell is the VP of Content at SportsDataYou can follow Bo on Twitter at @Bo_Mitchell