APP STATE hosts MIAMI
What do you get when Miami, one of the most prolific university football programs in history, drives up the mountain to Boone, NC for a game? Record breaking attendance and fun. Pure unadulterated fun. The town of Boone more than doubles in size. Tailgating was at an all time peak level as well. Here is a visual documentation of Tailgate Kindem's Game Day experience.
BOonetown becomes boomtown
Over 40,000 people crammed into Kidd Brewer Stadium otherwise known as "The Rock". The opening kickoff was as loud as I have ever heard it. "It is truly GREAT to be a Mountaineer".
Just as soon Be in boone
Game so big it was like a 20 year reunion. Saw students, friends, and colleagues I have not seen since graduation in 1994. Duck Pond Student section was tented and ready at 8:00am sharp.
200 lbs of manure
5:00am Breakfast burritos stuffed with hashbrowns fried in duck fat.
7:00am Coffee stop at Sugar Grove Country Store. Where a cowboy asks the clerk behind the counter for a Mountain Dew and 200 lbs of horse manure. Shitty start?
let the games begin
8:00am Tents are up, food is out, beverages are opened. Our tailgate location is sweet. Connected to the famous Duck Pond Field. Old friend Tommy Miller (of New Bern) on one side and Marcus Cox's family on the other. Yes, THE Marcus Cox.
our spiffy hosts
Had the pleasure of joining the well donned Mr. and Mrs. Scott Chitty and Mr. and Mrs. Nick Salvatore. Bloody Mary bar, breakfast sandwiches, and loud pants. Don't miss the "bourbon" socks pictured here. Men can accessorize too.
Why does App State continue to rank in Top 20 places to tailgate? The answer is easily found in the Game Day atmosphere and the people. The mood is joyful and playful. The goal is not to exclude others or to create a hierarchy. It is an all encompassing, extroverted, display of welcoming hospitality. Parking lot characters and wide open personalities abound. Friendships are easily made and life's abundance is openly shared. Even the opponent fans are welcomed and made to feel at ease. The Gear matches the people, creative and fun, The traditions are exuberant, not stuffy. The players and staff are humble and human. Evidence of this can be found in the above pictures. Converted school buses, Mountaineer Walk, Tailgate Alley, Players and Coaches signing our tent, parking lot DJ, good friends some old and some new. We even got a visit from Yosef of past and present. The score was ugly, but the smiles were beautiful. The App Fan is used to smiling in the face of a storm. Losing 24-0 at the end of the first quarter was a crappy start indeed. Although this had very little impact on the environment in Boone that day. Attitude is Altitude (or vice versa). This year's theme is "Define the Moment". We did. Defined in much more than touchdowns and turnovers.
- Tailgate Kindem