Kelly's Korner blog is having a Show Us Your Life Friday and this week's theme is favorite teams/tailgates. Just a fun way to see all the different traditions.
A couple of years ago Jeremy and I got season tickets with a group of friends and we have a blast so we have been getting them every year since. We tailgate (although I don't have any pics on my laptop of tailgating). Usually our tailgates consist of frying turkeys, chicken wings, fish, or grilling brats or hot dogs, we always have a ton of other food as well and of course lots of drinks. We sit around and talk and play bag toss or hillbilly golf. We also walk from tailgate to tailgate to see others we know that are tailgating. The UofI tailgates are spread out covering a lot of ground so it is hard to make it to all the tailgates you want to go to. The lot we tailgate in has many tailgates of people we know. Often times, people will hire a band or dj to come out to their tailgate, a lot of flat screen tv's hooked up, and I have even known of people to have their wedding reception at a tailgate (they had rented a tent, had white tables & chairs and all the guests got matching orange tshirts that they got to wear!
Although our team is not very good this year, it is still fun to go and enjoy the atmosphere, support the Illini in hopes that they will make a Rose Bowl appearance again in the near future. These are some pics I took at the game yesterday...yes we got our butts kicked, but still fun to go and enjoy the sea of orange and blue!
Jeremy and I at the game. Our seats are in the Horseshoe of Memorial Stadium!
Yesterday was homecoming and had I thought about it, I would have had my camera ready, they had a fly over of two jets (alumni of the university) right after the National Anthem. Always cool when we have a fly over!
The big orange section at the very end is part of the student section, it spills over to the right.
The East side of Memorial Stadium!
The new West Side of Memorial Stadium. They added luxury boxes and revamped that side, which just got completed this year. The rent out the luxury boxes for wedding receptions now which is totally cool. Obviously not during a home football game but when a game is not happening or away you can rent them out for quite a pretty penny.
The Marching Illini. The alumni band was marching as well since it was homecoming!
The mascot is and will always be Chief Illiniwek! Although many still think of Chief as our mascot, The Chief was boycotted from performing at any function and merchandisers can no longer print Chief apparell. Some people of Indian heritage thought The Chief was offensive. I think of The Chief as a tradition to Illinois! The Chief would come out at halftime and dance! Such a fun experience! Boy how a lot of people miss Chief Illiniwek and hope that the Chief will make his appearance back again!
Go Fighting Illini!
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