The Saskatchewan Roughrider Football Club made the announcement months ago that there would be tailgating and the fan base said – “its about time!”. Slowly, the intensity of the fine art of Tailgating has take the West parking lot (Lot D) by storm. Make no mistake this is a big commitment and requires planning, participants and creativity to make your slot in the rows of tailgaters stand out. But its not all about the showy turf, canopies, barbeques, drinks and food preparations; its the people, the camaraderie of seasoned football fans and those attending for the very first time. Each fan with a story or experience to share.
Kevin and Allison Hicks are friends from Sherwood Park, they have been inviting us to their location since this all began. They love entertaining and are terrific hosts with Lumberjack sandwich slices, snack sized bags of chips, water / pop and the beer on ice! This weekend, the B team took over, so thanks Arleen & Shannon for offering this family from Yorkton snacks and drinks! If you are without the tailgate spot, pack a beer along for the licensed area. Pop up tables, umbrellas and carpet or turf are appreciated, music and games and finally with the summer heat means misting fans are on the scene. This weekend the “Carnival” theme took off with one very creative tailgate having fair food such as Candied Apples, Pretzels and Pizza slices. Another location had a little portable pizza oven and being creative, the pizza’s were made using pita / flat bread. Jersey Mike’s were on hand plus other great sponsors of the Saskatchewan Roughriders entertaining up a storm!
The west parking lot is a secure spot with policing on site, the scene is electric, fun and a nice way to work your way over to the other game day activities. I give full credit to the Riders and the fans. I wonder if having a Tailgate Committee would be a good idea, the input on how things can be changed.. Or do they need to make changes? Just keep evolving, having fun and enjoy this first year! A personal shout out to those folks that invited me to stop by their spot and to the volunteer shuttle driver that stopped and gave me a ride to the gate! A day of great surprises.
Tailgating with Arleen and Shannon. This is what its about, meeting new friends and helping them navigate their 1st Roughrider Game.
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