Week 6 tailgate: Food, friendships for 3 decades

Mike Joseph

Amid the flamboyant exuberance that is Penn State tailgating, a small but well-ordered table stands out like a quiet but steady star in a disordered universe.

Bob and Sandy Barette and their friends Pat Sullivan and Brenda Sweeney, all of the Allentown area, let down the tailgate of their blue Subaru Outback -- "almost Penn State blue," Sandy Barette said.

In a few moments they had dressed up a card table with a covering cloth, with champagne, cabernet sauvignon and a light snack. With a night game ahead, they said, they decided to lunch well on the way.

It's an easygoing tailgate approach that's been more than 30 years in the making, evolving like natural language from complex to simple.

"We gave up trying to cook stuff because it was easier to go to Wegmans and buy every thing," said Bob Barette, a 1957 Penn State grad who has retired from a career in the ski patrol but, at 74, still keeps active.

One thing that hasn't disappeared is the Penn State lion's head logo. It was everywhere, on the tablecloth, the folding chairs and welcome mat on the parking lot pavement to Bob Barette's khaki trousers, spotted with it from belt loops to cuffs.

"It gets to the point where my wife can't buy me anything because I've got everything," Bob Barette said. "Our house is blue, too" Sandy Barette said.

Tailgate coordinators: Bob and Sandy Barette, of the Allentown area

Tailgate food: Chilled shrimp, smoked salmon, assorted meats and cheeses.

Favorite game: Penn State versus Ohio State, 2005.

Why we are the best tailgate: We always start with a mimosa -- three parts champagne, two parts orange juice.

Why we should win the contest: "Because we have the best people -- we are loyal fans," Sandy Barette said.