Maryland

The university announced earlier in the week, that RV and grass lots closed due to 11 inches of snow earliery in the week.

I left from Lower burrell to met Chad at the airport on Friday after 11. We Got to Suz’s just before 2 PM and headed over to Ottos for a late lunch with the Greene and the Olahs. We had a new waitress and while we waited for lunch, the group filled out a gift book for Maddy.

Official Stats

Guests:	15
RVs:	0

We went downtown with the Greenes and picked up a few things. We saw Toby at SBS.

We killed some time at Suz’s before heading to Rec Hall for women's volleyball. They won in 5 set against Minnesota. because of the holiday, there was no student section and no band. It was Crazy sweater night, with many folks donning their best ugly christmas sweater. One guy was dressed as buddy, the elf. Rec Hall was super hot inside. I’m not sure how Chad does it, coming in here in full outdoor gear.

Saturday

The predicted freezing rain hadn’t started when we woke up, but started shortly after. From the comfort of Suz’s warm house, we watched osu/msu hype on tv and enjoyed breakfast crossiast and crustless quiche. Later, we had chicken with wine and noodles.

The news announced that Route 22 was closed in blair county due to ice and traffic. All bundled up, the group drove over to the game at 2.

There was almost no traffic, so we got into the stadium with more than an hour to kickoff. Those who made it got to see the senior day activities. There were lots of empty seats among the misting rain/freezing drizzle. The lion didn’t really have many student to point to for his stadium cheer. No band on the field for pre-game. The stadium ground crew was filling divots on the edges of the fields during the pre-game.

The maryland team that showed up this week wasn’t the team that nearly beat OSU earlier this season. The lions leaped to and early lead and kept it that way throughout the game. There were several sideline catch reviews for Maryland that were definitely out of bounds from even the perspective of the casual viewer. The Blue Band played a holiday music set for half time. Many fans left. The lions continued to turn the screws after half time. Maryland missed a field goal during their lone red zone trip during the second half. Rain stopped, it was actually warmer than 2 weeks ago because of no wind. The lions added 2 more scores to finally put it to bed, 38-3. The official attendance was listed at 98422, but it felt more like 75k.

Penn State	opponent
38	3

We headed back to Suz’s house with nearly no traffic. Chad and Cari headed back to Rec Hhall for Women’s Volleyball. The rest of us watched it on TV and enjoyed baked havarti and snacks. The Lady Lions unfortunately lost to Wisconsin in the 5th set. Next we watched the LSU vs Texas A&M football game go for a record 7 overtimes with a final score of 72-74.

Sunday.

For the Glory,
-Rob, Tailgating Coordinator

Wisconsin

Saturday

Wisconsin got an early lead with a 70 yard touchdown run, but couldn’t seem to make first downs after that. I saw 2 ireland scarfs in the game (from the 2014 trip). Game Recap

Post game, we drove to suz’s house after the game to enjoy some home cooking. Suz accidentally dumped chili on my feet upon entering the basement. Eric brought his dog. We played pigs before the power in the entire neighborhood went out for several hours due to downed tree limbs. We lit up the basement with LED bulbs.

Penn State	Wisconsin
22	10

Colleen and Mora were in to join us this weekend. Maddy had to go home early to take care of mom. We talked about favorites from past years. Chad drove back to RV lot around 11. A lot attendant made him park his truck outside until the AM.

For the Glory,
-Rob, Tailgating Coordinator

@ Indiana

Friday

After entering Indiana, we stopped in Indianapolis at the Dallara Indy Car Factory and only got a museum tour. No garage tours were available due to a special event. It was a short walk over to the the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where we took an Indy 500 bus tour around the track and got to kiss the bricks.

For lunch, we had sandwiches in the RV while rain started. From there, we headed to Bloomington.

We parked in the aux RV lot and met some of the neighbors and the lot attendant. There were maybe about 30 RVs total. We went downtown to buffa-louies for dinner of wings and fries and walked around downtown before ending up at “the cade”, a bar with old school arcade games. There were rental scooters everywhere.

Back at the lot, we had drinks with the neighbors while waiting for Cari and Eric.

They arrived slightly after 1 AM and we went to bed by 2:30

Saturday

I almost didn’t make it past the metal detector because of my steel toed boots. Finally, a cute stadium attendant showed the metal detector guy what to look for.

It was rough game. By the end, we were all super cold.

An on-side kick attempt kept Indiana in the game until the end, even though their fans cleared out by the middle of the 4th quarter.

We walked back to the RV to warm up.

We got pizza and beer at Nick's English Hut and then watched THE Ohio State University lose to Purdue by
TWENTY.
NINE.
POINTS.
from The Upstairs Pub .

We rescued the Greene’s rental vehicle from the parking lot at McNutt dorm and then when back to the RV.

Penn State	Indiana
33	28

Sunday

Overall, this was a great trip. The Hoosiers were extremely friendly and welcoming. I'd definitely go again and would recommend the trip to everyone.

For the Glory,
-Rob, Tailgating Coordinator

MSU HOMECOMING

Friday

After getting settled, we walked over to the Meat lab to do my Christmas shopping: everyone gets meat. After stowing the meat, in the RV fridge, We caught the Family clothesline shuttle downtown. While we were waiting for the shuttle a crazy woman pulled her truck across the busy entrance to the lot and she got out of her truck with a young girl. When the lot attendant politely and calmly asked her not to park there, She yelled back at the attendant, “She's only 4 years old. My son works at the university” So odd and unnecessarily angry.

Now Downtown, we went shopping. We saw Toby and got my blue zip hoodie that I had waiting for all season. We had a late lunch at the tavern. We caught the shuttle back to rv lot.

We attempted to watch the Parade at 6:10, but it must have started early. From our vantage point in front of the IM, we apparently missed a lot of the parade. We hung out in the RV lot until Chad arrived.

Saturday

• The book nook
• The book mobile
• The display area
• The kitchen area for the help
• The mulch for Madelines

Team RV walked over to day lot with the wagon shortly after suz arrived.

Jess was delayed while driving so we had no utensils to cook breakfast for a bit.

In addition to the normal canopy, tables and chairs we also had wooden Madeline figurines, backdrops, a large display book, and a wagon full of books to donate.

Many people were hanging decorations on the canopies that were not extended to full height.

Eric and I were pounding in stakes for the wooden figures. Suz and others were getting food ready for judging and making a breakfast of cottage bacon and egg casserole for all of us.

Setup continued until Maddy got a call from the judges. We all spent a few more minutes of mad scramble to get all of the final details in place.

The judges stayed for a long time while Maddy walking them through our tailgate theme and reading to them from the book. Now, it was finally time to relax, get all of the chairs out and eat. A while later, there was a brief hard rain. It was group photo time when the judges came back to tell us we won. I took dog back to rv.

Post game, the division between the kitchen was removed and we snacked on wings, onion soup, and cider.

Penn State	MSU
17	21

Everyone was exhausted. We packed up before 2230. The dirty dish bag was accidentally left behind with the trash and suz had to come back to the lot for it.

Sunday

For the Glory,
-Rob, Tailgating Coordinator

Ohio State

Saturday

First breakfast: Sausage gravy and biscuits

Second breakfast: Pancakes and bacon

Elevenses: Potato cup, English Muffins, eggs in the hole and Cake batter waffles

It was overcast later, but the shade was a welcome break from the sun. Rich set up the TV in front of his RV.

Official Stats

Guests:	35
breakfasts:	3
RVs:	2

With Chad at deep the frier, we had wings, fries, Onion Rings,Pierogies, Mac and cheese bites/motz sticks. It boiled over at one point, which made for an exciting flair up.

Suz made Bratwurst Sliders sandwiches and Rich dished out a St. Louis favorite called Slinger. Most people really enjoyed it.

The air was abuzz during the day. We saw F-18 prepare for the gametime flyover. During the day, many skyward banners cruised overhead, including a condom ad and happy birthday amy banner. We also saw a helicopter, which we found out later was a police helicopter that caused havoc in a different lot: USA today article.

Penn State	Ohio State
26	27

After an entire day of tailgating, it was finally time to go into the game. Damn buckeyes got us by 1 point. Afterward, we enjoyed a few drinks with those who remained and when to bed.

For the Glory,
-Rob, Tailgating Coordinator

Kent State

For my first home game of the 2018 campaign, my mom and I started Thursday night at Suz’s house with the RV and left Friday AM to get a space in the RV lot.

Now on foot, we departed for the Meat lab, the Visitor’s center and Nittany Surplus, where I picked up a new micro fridge for the office.

Suz was kind enough to pick us and the fridge up while avoiding getting run over in the parking lot.

We all helped with canopy test set up of the new 10x20 and 10x10 canopies from wish.com and then enjoyed some nachos for lunch.

Mom and I got a ride downtown for flair shopping and caught the family clothes line shuttle back to the RV lot.

We grilled dinner at the RV and made a late night trip to the creamery. They had more creamery milk crates for sale.

Saturday

We played day pigs and enjoyed eggs hollandaise before the noon game.

It was a very hot day. I almost got heat stroke during the game because I didn’t drink enough water.

When we returned to the tailgate, the 10x20 canopy was gone. Apparently a freak gust of wind lifted the canopy and broke many of the plastic connectors and bent poles. We dubbed it a “tarpnado.”

Penn State	Kent State
63	10

I brought dog over after game and we enjoyed the lack of cover after the after game. We wolded up around 9 PM and headed back to RV and house.

For the Glory,
-Rob, Tailgating Coordinator

@ Pitt

1. We had such a horrible time with the Pitt fans 2 years ago
2. It got moved to a night game.
3. It rained so much that the river flooded.

Such a great time with amazing friends watching our Nittany Lions dominate!

Did you plug in the toaster oven, falling while putting up the tarp, falling on the boat dock, spiders and snakes, never go in the shed, water cooler talk, times like this I wish Chad was with me, rain rain go away, emergency evacuation for the boat, good thing we aren’t on the river, did anyone even drink water?, half price fried chicken, oops forgot the mozzarella, we spent an hour in Walmart, how

Penn State	Pitt
51	6

many cookie cakes do we need, enough pasta to feed an army, is it too early for a beer, shower caps galore, what’s the score, what’s the time, it’s all a blur, cup of beans, don’t hog the heater, keep pace on the swing, parking signs like a pro, stop talking about me!

For the Glory,
-Rob and Shari

Blue White Weekend (BWW) 18

Friday

We had a 4 RV convoy for the first time since 2013 homecoming . We got to State college and met at the old Eat N Park by the North Atherton WalMart at 7:45 PM. It was Rob and Alaina, Larry and Tina, Matt and Kori, Rich and Nell.

From there, we caravanned to RV lot. The lot attendants were very friendly and helped us through the new process. Despite my best efforts, I didn't have the correct pass with me and the lot attendants asked me multiple times until I finally gave the correct answer of “Yes, we left the pass at home."

We parked all together in a "H" on RV west 6th. Once we got set up, the group made an italian dinner and ate in Rich and Nell’s camper.

We had drinks and finished a bottle of Fireball less than an hour.

Saturday

Rich and Matt join the car convoy in the morning. Once setup was complete, they came back to the RV and we all made our way over to the tailgate.

Official Stats

Guests:	35
RVs:	2

The group got parked in spot 1552...in the second row away from the press box. The 10x20 canopy went up with some work.

Breakfast was bacon and eggs with Guava mimosas. Maddy made the “big drink” for the day which was a pan galactic gargle blaster for our “hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy theme.”

Jeremy and Jason both stopped by. We sang Happy Birthday to Jason.

The day started cool, but warmed up quickly and many ended up with sunburns from the cloudless sky. Hard to believe that the week started with 2 days of snow! What a weird winter that it’s been.

Chalupa hung out with Cari and Paul most of the day. Shawn and Shari brought their girls and their new puppy, Dakota. Chalupa, as usual, doesn’t like puppies.

For food throughout the day, the group sampled:

• pierogi casserole
• Taco dip
• Mini tacos
• Buffalo chicken dip
• Pretzel bites
• Grilled cheese and pot roast melts
• Garlic bread and pork
• Vietnamese spicy pork Egg rolls
• Reuben dip

The young boys were set up with a large variety of monster trucks at the lower end of the tailgate. Rich, Matt and Shawn keep residence on the tailgate.

There were many activities going on during the day. A group of us walked over to see Velveeta playing on the stage near the all-sports museum.

While we were there, we also spotted Keegan Michael Key who was taking photos with the Nittany Lion. Alaina and I waited in line to get our picture. I was trying to think of something cleaver to say to when we finally met. “you done messed up A-A-Ron” was the best that I could think of. He told that, "It was so exciting to be back."

Blue	White
21	10

Brandon Short (#43 from my jersey) visited our tailgate and he’s running for BOT this year. John Gilmore was also at tailgate and Jess showed him her shrine (on the back of her apron)

We played pigs at the end of the night, before the tailgate broke up and I walked back to the RV lot

The RVers played cards in the RV lot and went to bed.

Sunday

We visited Shawn and Shari's new place, stopped at walmart for some flair and then stopped at Suz’s to see the basement remodel.

For the Glory,
-Rob, Tailgating Coordinator

2018 Tailgate schedule

Date	Game	Game time	Size	Arrival Day	Theme	Equipment Stuff to bring general link	RV driver info general link	Location Where to find us general link
April 21, 2018	Blue/White	TBA	car	Saturday	Hitchhikers's Guide to the Galaxy	Email Rob for info	-	TBA
Sept 1, 2018	APPALACHIAN STATE	TBA	car	Saturday	Agatha Christie- following route of orient express - istabul - Paris with a little British thrown in	Email Rob for info	-	TBA
Sept 8, 2018	@ Pitt	TBA	Boat tailgate #2 = canceled	Saturday	TBA	By RSVP only Rob for info	-	TBA
Sept 15, 2018	Kent State	Noon	car	Saturday	Gatsby- fancy cocktail party. Long Island/nyc slant	Email Rob for info	-	spot 2533-2534 GPS 40.809950, -77.857897
Sept 29, 2018	Ohio State	TBA	RV	Friday	A hobbit's Oktoberfest - the shire meets Bavaria. With all 3 breakfasts.	OSU equipment list	-	RV lot 19
Oct 13, 2018	Michigan St (Homecoming)	3:30	RV	Thursday	A Child’s Adventure, to the moon and back!!! Featuring both literary and culinary classics from childhood. AND we’ll be hosting a book drive, so be sure to bring some of your favorites!	Email Rob for info	-	spot 2533-2534 GPS 40.809950, -77.857897
Oct 20, 2018	at Indiana	TBA	RV	Friday	Best of PSU	Email Rob for info	-	Bloomington, IN
Oct 27, 2018	Iowa	TBA	car	Saturday	Harry potter- magical British fare/Halloween	Email Rob for info	-	spot 2533-2534 GPS 40.809950, -77.857897
Nov 10, 2018	Wisconsin	Noon	house	Saturday	Little house of the Prairie - rustic, home-cooking	Email Rob for info	-	spot 2533-2534 GPS 40.809950, -77.857897
Nov 24, 2018	Maryland	3:30	house	Saturday	Mastering the Art of Great Tailgating, Volume 2. Join us for some French favorites inspired by the great Julia Child.	Email Rob for info	-	spot 2533-2534 GPS 40.809950, -77.857897

Diesel Tailgate: Get Big! ^TM