At least 10 college-football greats are expected to be on hand Saturday when the College Football Hall of Fame holds its grand opening in downtown Atlanta.

A tailgate-style event will be held outside the Hall of Fame’s new home near Centennial Olympic Park from 9 a.m. until noon Saturday, organizers announced. The event will include visits from cheerleaders, mascots and the ESPN GameDay bus, as well as a kids’ football clinic, music, games and prizes.

Tickets are not required for the tailgate event.

To enter the College Football Hall of Fame and Chick-fil-A Fan Experience, however, tickets are $16.99 to $19.99 and available at www.cfbhall.com. The building, under construction since January 2013, will open at 10 a.m. Saturday.

Hall officials said Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed will officiate the opening and will be joined by a number of College Football Hall of Famers, including former Georgia players Charley Trippi, Bill Stanfill and Kevin Butler, former Georgia Tech players Joe Hamilton and Randy Rhino, and former Falcons quarterback Steve Bartkowski.

The Hall of Fame, located at 250 Marietta Street, moved to Atlanta from South Bend, Ind. The new 94,000-square-foot attraction combines historical artifacts with modern interactive technology.

Hall officials, in a news release Monday, urged people planning to come to the grand opening to arrive early and consider taking MARTA. A portion of Marietta Street will be closed to through traffic from 7 a.m. until noon. More information: www.cfbhall.com/events/grand-opening.

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