Baseball is, of course, America’s pastime. And America’s hosting of the World Cup was an epic experience that elevated soccer's status across the country.
But when it comes to stirring the passions of American sports fans, nothing comes close to the start of another football season. In our neck of the woods, expectations are off-the-charts for Burrow/Chase/Higgins to be an unstoppable NFL force. Plus, UC has cracked the pre-season rankings at #23, and regional college powerhouses Ohio State and Indiana are #1 and #3, respectively.
In other words, HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL for area football fanatics.
So, if you LOVE football and are inclined to be in the stands instead of in front of your 78-inch, 4D television screen, there’s a good chance you and your mates will head to the stadium hours before kick-off to partake of a uniquely American sports tradition: tailgating.
In this post, we’ll cover some of the essentials of putting on a tailgating party that will be the envy of the cars/trucks/campers around you.
Tailgating is older than football. In fact, America’s first recorded “tailgate” party was in 1861, when residents of Washington, D.C. packed their picnic baskets, boarded their carriages, and traveled to watch the Battle of Bull Run (They thought it would be a quick Yankee victory, but the South won and even covered the spread).
As college football gained popularity in the early 1900’s, and automobiles started to pour off the assembly lines, fans began the tradition of loading up the Model T for pre-game parties outside their stadiums.
Then, in the 50s, station wagons became the family vehicle of choice across the country. Football fans could pack their wagons with the necessities of pre-game partying and use the vehicle’s rear tailgate as a convenient serving table, giving a label to the 100-year-old American tradition.
If you’re thinking of hosting a tailgate party, remind yourself that you don’t want to spend the day cooking. Tailgating is about:
You don’t want to be stressed in the days and hours leading up to your tailgate party.
Wise old veterans of football tailgating have planning down to a science.
But if you’re a novice, especially someone who has never hosted a tailgate party, you’ll want to pay attention to the rest of this post.
The following will walk you through the essentials you need to do/to have for your tailgate.
Do the bulk of your work the evening before your tailgate party:
Unless you’re a tailgating snob who brings a table, cloth napkins, and a place setting, avoid anything that requires cutting to eat. Your friends will appreciate foods they can eat with one hand, so they can keep a beer in the other. Consider popular finger foods such as:
Remember: no knives, but plenty of (paper) napkins.
Nothing can bring a tailgate party down like warm beer or cocktails.
Make sure you have enough coolers so that one is stocked with beer, wine, and plenty of ice. And label it so people don’t open it just to see what’s inside and contribute to melting ice.
For many tailgating vets, cold beer and classic mixed drinks (Bloody Mary, Screwdriver, etc.) are the traditional foundation of pre-game festivities. Those are all fine, but your guests might appreciate a little variety in their drink selections. Consider:
Whether you’re planning a tailgate party for UC on Saturday or the Bengals on Sunday (or both), you need to swing by The Party Source, Exit 5 off 471-South in Bellevue. We have the region’s largest selection of tailgating essentials at the lowest prices around.
Plus, for your convenience, we offer in-store pickup, curbside pickup, and local delivery! Delivery in Northern Kentucky requires a $35.00 minimum and a $5.00 delivery fee. We can have curbside/in-store pickup ready in as little as 2 hours. All customers receive a notification via email/text when their order is ready for pickup. We have same-day Delivery; these are also ready in as little as 2 hours.
Game time is HERE!
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