Crowds pack Super Bowl City one last time

After days of crowds so thick that San Francisco police had to turn people away, fans poured in Sunday under balmy skies along the Embarcadero to get one last glimpse of the jumbo video screen and its clips of football greatness, and to cavort among the games and food booths.

“The atmosphere is great, exciting, everyone’s happy!” exulted Jeanna Duvauchelle of Vacaville, waiting in line with her 9-year-old son, Dominic, for a health care exhibit.

The boy was going to be photographed wearing football pads, but that’s as close as he’s getting to suiting up for now, mom said.

There was no wait for the Dignity Health exhibit trailer, which offered fans a chance to learn how to avoid their own torn menisci (work with certified coach, said a sign) and tendinitis (exercise, a sign urged).

[...] there were long lines for people to take selfies in front of signs, player cutouts and beer-can sculptures.

[...] the $8 “frog dog” rolls — the carnival city’s popular hot dogs in baguettes — were almost as plentiful in fists as selfie sticks.

Crowds began thinning after lunchtime as the realization dawned that the Super Bowl itself wasn’t going to be shown on Super Bowl City’s big screen.

[...] came the pronouncement from the stage that the whole mini-festival was shutting down for good at 3 p.m. — and that precipitated a headlong rush for the grub, which required a wide receiver’s skills.

By the time the police started sweeping people out, the fans were resigned.