CHARLOTTE, N.C., Feb. 3, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- To celebrate the grand opening of Charlotte's first Tropical Smoothie Cafe, franchise owner and former Carolina Panther Everette Brown will host a kid's field day and autograph signing event with current and former NFL players on Saturday, Feb. 8. The activities will take place at Tropical Smoothie Cafe, located at 1111 Metropolitan Ave, Suite 110, inside the Metropolitan Center.

To kick off the festivities, a kid's field day event will take place from 9 a.m. to noon at Charlotte's Midtown Park, located adjacent to the Metropolitan Center. Children are invited to join current and former NFL players in the fun-filled event, which will include carnival games, traditional field day competitions, inflatable bouncy houses and smoothie samplings. Tropical Smoothie Cafe will award 10 people with free smoothies for a year throughout the event.

Following the field day activities, guests of all ages will have the chance to attend an autograph signing event at Tropical Smoothie Cafe from noon to 2:00 p.m. where they can meet current and former NFL players who support healthy eating. Thirteen players, many of whom played for the Panthers, will be on site meeting fans and signing autographs including: John Beason, Thomas Davis, Graham Gano, Charles Johnson, Sherrod Martin, Captain Munnerlyn, Travelle Wharton and many others.