‘Everybody’s together.’ Penn State fans return for first public Blue-White game since 2019
Andy Mowery has been to many Penn State tailgates through the years.
The 1988 graduate has made his love for the program a family affair, with his daughter graduating in 2018 and his son currently attending the university. Mowery, 58, was just one of the many alumni and other fans that braved morning rainfall and heavy traffic to take in the first Blue-White game open to the public since 2019. The game was canceled in 2020 and held in front of a small audience last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s an amazing experience,” Mowery said. “Blue and White is not the end of a season, it’s the start of a brand new season. So, it’s the pregame for what we’re about to experience in the fall, which is a lot of fun.”
This year’s edition of the Blue-White tailgate featured a carnival — chock full of cotton candy, funnel cakes, corn dogs and other treats. Curtin Road — between Bryce Jordan Center and Beaver Stadium — was host to thousands of fans watching live music.
The atmosphere was nothing like anything Penn State professor of criminology Lecinda Yevchak had experienced before. Yevchak, 40, has lectured at the university since 2012, but never attended a football game. The Blue-White game was her first opportunity to soak it all in.
“I came out because my friends were out and about,” Yevchak said. “I brought the dog because this is the first time that we’ve really been able to see anyone in two years. So, we’re just going out walking around, seeing people and enjoying pre-pandemic things.”
Other areas around the stadium were packed with grills, hot dogs, hamburgers and deep fryers to cook French fries. Not only were the smells lingering throughout the air, but the excitement of the return of football was a hot topic.
Troy Blackwell, 38, grew up with a deep connection to the Penn State football program through his cousin, former Penn State linebacker Brandon Short.
“I always like the fact that people say, ‘We Are, Penn State,’” Blackwell said. “This is a ‘We Are’ atmosphere. Everybody’s together, everybody’s enjoying food, playing with kids, sharing old stories — alumni. They truly lived that ‘We Are’ principle. So, it’s a great thing to see.”
Other tailgaters were Penn State students who have missed the chance to experience a true Blue-White game. Gabe Ryan, a 2021 graduate and Altoona native, went to a number of Blue-White games as a teen and said the spring tailgate is different than one in the fall.
The 23-year-old welcomes the aspect of community and not necessarily just the football play inside of the stadium. The opportunity to relish in a sense of normalcy gives him excitement that life is getting back to how it used to be, to an extent.
“Blue and White (tailgates) are always a little different than your regular tailgate because there’s so many more people and everyone just kind of stays out all day,” Ryan said. “Some people don’t even go into the game. That kind of changes things. This one is pretty crazy compared to the last one that I went to. I don’t know if the last one I went to had a Ferris wheel or carnival set up.”
This story was originally published April 23, 2022 at 3:59 PM.
