Winnipeg Blue Bombers Game Day

8 HOME GAME PLAYBOOK SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2015 WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FANS AT THE FIELD Old-school tailgating hits the spot By Scott Billeck for the Winnipeg Free Press FROM THE GROUND UP, IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE MUCH. A pack of cars lined up neatly in a row on an unpaved parking lot west of Investors Group Field. A short distance away, fans flock to Tailgate at the Plaza to take in an organized pre-game party atmosphere. Located just outside Gate 2, the plaza can accommodate large groups, as well as individual fans and families who drop by to play a few interactive games, belly up to beer and food concessions and socialize with friends while a DJ spins music for the crowd. But the parking lot party holds a special appeal to Blue Bomber fans who pull up with barbecues and coolers in tow to enjoy an old-school version of tailgating. They've created their own experience, one that is unique to the city, to the Bombers and to the space their little social community is afforded each day of a home game. "This is a bunch of football fans who want to extend the experience," Matt Vinet says. "This is our family get-together in the summer. We pay for the whole thing and it's probably less than a hotdog and four beers inside." Vinet, his buddy Tony Bettens and their families have been tailgating for four years now, beginning back at the old Canad Inns stadium. "It was kind of low key there," Vinet says. "Here, it's full now and after the game it's still full." The aroma of grilled hotdogs and burgers is in the air, and tents, trailers, lawn chairs and tables litter the strips of grass that separate each section of the lot designated for those with blue game-day parking passes. Those in this particular lot arrive early — two, three and sometimes four hours ahead of kickoff, just to get their pre-game party started. Vinet says he arrives some five hours before kickoff with a trailer full of everything needed for a good time. He says he's picked up ideas from different stadiums in the U.S. — where thousands of football fans stage mass tailgating parties in expansive parking lots outside 80,000-seat NFL stadiums. But the local version is a more modest affair. "We're amateur tailgaters," he says. Win or lose, the atmosphere is about the same. And Vinet says it's nice to see when Bombers president and CEO Wade Miller pops by to chat and have a look around. The respect is mutual, says veteran tailgater John Couture. "We clean up after ourselves, it's all neat, it's all clean," he says. Couture is decked out in a customized Blue Bombers jersey marked with all the many years of Grey Cups he's attended, along with enough necklaces to make you think this was Mardi Gras. He says the tailgating atmosphere here is fantastic. "There's a camaraderie, and you end up meeting new friends out here," he says. "Everyone in this stretch of 100-feet have the same spot every game, we all know each other. If other guys can't get here earlier because they have to work until 4 or 5, we save the parking spot. Everyone looks after each other." ❚ "There's a camaraderie, and you end up meeting new friends out here." Win or lose, the sociable game-day atmosphere remains upbeat for the community of Blue Bombers fans who tailgate in a parking lot west of Investors Group Field. While some football fans flock to the ready-made party the Bombers provide at Tailgate at the Plaza, these folks prefer to kick it old-school in their favourite spot. Photos by Darcy Finley

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