On Friday, the Rocky and Adrian Lookalike Contest at Philadelphia's Rocky Fest gave the couple, who look awkward both on skates and on dates, a chance to celebrate their cute awkwardness.
The evening event, held at the University of Pennsylvania's ice rink in 1923, was aimed at recreating the couple's first date in Rocky. In the classic 1976 film, the eponymous boxer never actually puts on ice skates in the scene, but instead tries to stay upright while limping along with his best friend Paulie's sister.
The prize for winning the contest was dinner at South Philadelphia's iconic Victor Cafe, a hotel stay, a $250 gift certificate to a Rocky-themed gift shop, and an opera performance by a server.
New York City firefighter Jason Carrion and his wife Roxanne Carrion took first place.
“I think we're the biggest 'Rocky' fans of all time, so we wanted to do something. I mean, look at us,” he said. “We wanted to do something similar to what Rocky wore on the street in the movie.” said Jason Carrion, wearing a leather jacket and hat.
Roxanne Carrion called the event a dreamlike day. “We're going ice skating, getting dressed up and going to the 'Rocky' steps, and now we're going to see the 'Rocky' movie at the theater. So this was the perfect date for us.” she said.
She said the reason the film had such wide appeal was because of its theme of “underdogs”: “This is a story that touches people of all ages, right?” .
Philadelphia was the setting for the popular “Rocky” series. Philadelphia is celebrating this nearly 50 years later in 2023 with a five-day festival derived from the first Rockies Day.
This week's events include a mural unveiling, a movie marathon, a talk on the enduring appeal of Sylvester Stallone's characters, and a bus tour of some of his favorite scenes.
Meanwhile, a second casting of the Rocky statue was unveiled at the top of the Rocky Staircase at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where the original appeared in “Rocky III” and will remain there until Dec. 31.
“This statue represents everything the Rocky movies stand for: resilience, heart and the unbreakable bond between Rocky and the people of Philadelphia,” Stallone said in a statement.
