Tailgate rules: Dress the Part

Tailgate rules:  Dress the Part

One of the traits of true tailgate fans is to dress the part when you come to a game.  By dressing the part, you show your spirit, your desire to win and it allows freedom of expression most other activities don't allow.

Jenna is sporting the Ritz Cracker with Cheese hat along with a #4 Jersey with Lambeau Field in the background.  This shot was taken before the Packer Panther game in 2007.

Pre-game ritual- The cigar. 2002, 2007 Openers

  
 

One of the most important things about tailgating at Lambeau or for any football game is the ritual.  There is no set standard or rules for the pregame rituals, but they often include eating, drinking, throwing a football and listening to the sounds of the game on CD or sports radio.  One important ritual for us is smoking a cigar after the meal and before we take our seats(early enough to watch team warm ups).  The cigar is more or less a symbol of irresponsibility and throwing caution (about one's health and body wellness) to the wind.  The cigar says," we are here and we want to win more than anything today"  It also says, "we are enjoying an archaic form of entertainment and an archaic form of self indulgence-".

This picture is Julia and Joe at the 2007 Packer/ Eagle opener, the other is  Pete, Bill, Jeff and Eugene at the 2002 Packer/Falcon opener.  It was really hot, Michael Vick was the Falcon quarterback vs Brett Favre and we won in overtime in a thriller.

Packer Seattle Playoffs 2008

The setting was better than a Hollywood movie.  The Green Bay Packers were on a roll, Brett Favre has had one of his best seasons, and old coach Mike Holmgren was back in town, maybe for the last time.  Then, like the Wizard of Oz, it starts to snow and snow in big chunks.  The Packers seem to play better and the Seahawks stumble and fumble their way to a crushing defeat.  The view from the south end zone was great and the atmosphere was unlike any game we had been to before.  This scene depicts Bukowskis-Jeff, Peter and Bob enjoying an unforgettable experience at Lambeau field.

Lambeau Fan Interviews

Packer Cleveland Opener 2005

Packer/Cleveland Opener 2005

I like this shot because it is like a genre painting.  It has family members gathered around for an event like a Dutch painting.  We had a good time at the tailgate but the Packers were off to a bad year and they lost this game.  It was hard to watch because you kept expecting a competent team to show up and win.  Oh well.....

Ice Bowl II, NFC Championship

Ice Bowl II,  January 20, 2008

Jeff and I were just gearing up for the showdown between the Giants and Packers.  We had been tailgating since about 1:15 p.m., so we had already

been outside for several hours.  It was cold, but we had dressed for it.  The cold does take away the finesse passing game that the Packers had developed this year, so I was concerned.  Our seats were my family's season ticket seats in the south end zone.  We have been coming every year since 1990.

Lambeau Tailgate Opener

This is a video from the Packers-Eagles game. It has been our family tradition to go to the opener, so to start my year in review it would be fitting to start with the opener. We've been to a lot of classic openers over the years, and eventually we'll get into the archive and showcase some of those. As you'll see in the video, we ended up with a huge group for this one, and the shrimp was a special treat.

Site Preview: Packer Fan Year in Review

Now that it is officially the off season since the Pro Bowl is over, I can start this website by looking back at the 2007 Green Bay Packers, not only from a football standpoint, but also from a fan standpoint. There were many memorable moments both on the field, in the stands, and in the parking lot. I am not going to name all of those now. Instead I want to spread them out in updates over the next few weeks in the form of words, pictures and videos.

Ice Bowl Survivors