Week 1 tailgate: Alumni feed hundreds

By Gail Franklin

Three Penn State alumni served up 90 scrambled eggs topped with cheese and crabmeat on Saturday in a grassy lot behind Beaver Stadium.

Pick the Penn State tailgate of the year, as featured in the CDT?

Most of the people were strangers, but they weren't crashing this tailgate. At every home game, Mike Ferraro, John Winarchick and Bob Correll can be found at space 3234 offering a free tailgate for any student or fan, and fans of opposing teams are just as welcome.

The tailgate includes at least four grills, several gas-powered blenders and Crock-pots, game-day staples and some fancier dishes, too.

Since 1996, it has grown every year, and on Saturday it was hard to say which was better, the food or the banter.

"You're pretty much the epitome of all that's good about Penn State," student Nick Pinto, of the campus group Pride Initiative, told Correll as he flipped another omelet.

Tailgate coordinators: Mike Ferraro, of Nazareth; John Winarchick, of Center Valley; and Bob Correll, of Harrisburg.

Number of participants: Hundreds

Why we're the best tailgate: The longest line for food around speaks for itself.

Best tailgate food: Eggs Chesapeake, black bean soup, chicken piccata and frozen margaritas.

Favorite Penn State game: Winarchick likes to recall a game in the early '80s against Notre Dame when it was rainy, cold and sleeting. "We actually kicked their butts. It was amazing."

Why we should win the best tailgate contest: The three friends wouldn't toot their own horns, but Correll, a Tyco retiree, summed up their motivation: "It's a way of giving back," he said. "I reaped the benefits of an education through employment. My way of giving back is to tailgate and to give back to anyone who comes along."