Week 5 tailgate: Alumni stick together

Gail Franklin

A cold wind whipped through the field near the Blue Band building on Saturday and made it hard for Penn State alumnus Mike Nemith, of Washington, D.C., to pour vodka into his friends' mouths, and not on their shirts, before the game.

But that didn't deter others from lining up to do a "chair shot," a tailgate tradition in which a fan sits in a chair and tips his head back while three friends pour triple sec, vodka and lime syrup into his mouth at one time.

"Don't close your mouth yet," Becky Grove instructed one willing participant. "We're not done. Okay, now mix it up in your mouth."

Grove and at least a dozen of her old friends from Penn State invented the tailgate activity about five years ago, one more thing for the tight-knit group to laugh at as they wait to watch the game.

Grove, the only one of the former classmates who still lives in the area, has helped coordinate a tailgate since the time her friends started graduating and moving to other areas in 1997, she said.

"We didn't want to leave behind football Saturdays," Grove said. "So we started to gather each week, under the same tree in the lot behind the Intramural Building with some snacks, beer and four little chairs."

Now the tailgate of about 40 fans includes the families and other friends of those former classmates, as well as anyone who wants to join in their rowdy pregame festivities.

The tailgate has grown since they had one hibachi and a few chairs: They have added a deep fry day, where anything that's brought to the tailgate is fried up, and they make Thanksgiving dinner when Penn State plays Purdue.

Grove can have as many as 17 guests at her one-bedroom apartment, including her parents, the night before a big home game.

"Everybody has their own spot," she said of sleeping arrangements. "It's become kind of a well-oiled machine."

The tailgate also is well coordinated, in part, because of its Web site, www.penn statetailgate.com. That high-profile domain name was bought by the group in 1999 and is used to post pictures, directions and a message board keeps everyone informed about who is bringing what food.

There's even a tailgate family tree. Jeff Metzger, one of Grove's college friends, and his mother, Phyllis, are Bellefonte natives, and they're at the top of the tree. Metzger now lives in Irwin, Westmoreland County, and leaves at 4:30 a.m. on game days to get to State College.

Jared Bean, another one of the original tailgaters, is the Web master and said he gets at least one or two e-mails a week from people interested in finding a good tailgate.

"We invite everyone we meet," Bean said. "I have some people coming from Germany to the next game -- I'm not kidding."

Grove said she gets a little lonely when it's not football season, but there are holiday parties and basketball games that bring college friends back during the rest of the year.

"We love each other, you know," she said.

Tailgate coordinators: Becky Grove, of Patton Township; Jeff and Phyllis Metz ger, of Irwin; and Jared Bean, of York

Tailgate food: Bratwurst, pizza casserole, hot Buffalo chicken dip. At least one game a year is devoted to deep frying everything in sight, and the game against Purdue always features Thanksgiving fixings.

Favorite Game: Penn State versus Ohio State, 2005.

Why we are the best tailgate: It's a family and friend affair, but everyone is welcome, including fans from opposing teams.

Why we should win the contest: "What Penn State fan doesn't want to be No. 1?" Bean asked. "Plus, our atmosphere is top notch."