Kim Wilbanks

Have you ever experienced a day that made you smile? A day so perfect that its memory lingered long after it was over? I have, just a few days ago.

Our next-door neighbors in the mountains are alumni of Appalachian State University and are huge App State fans. It’s where they met back in the 1980s. They are season ticket holders for all the home football games and have invited us to join them for a game each year we have been neighbors. (We missed last year because of the hurricane. )

Game day arrived with clear blue, sunny skies, and a slight fall crisp in the air. Although the game didn’t start until 3:30 in the afternoon, we left at 10:30 to enjoy a pre-game tailgate. It is a long-standing tradition with the same group of friends in a parking lot right next to the stadium.

We arrived and set up tents, unfolded camp chairs, and spread food on tables. It was a bountiful tailgate feast: chicken nuggets, sub sandwiches, chips, veggies and dip, cheese straws with pepper jelly, brownies, cookies, and pumpkin pie. My contribution was mini pumpkin-chocolate muffins. Yum!

Other vehicles with similar spreads also crowded the parking lot. Some had televisions showing other games. Some people decorated the tents with balloons and streamers. The App State colors of gold and black were predominant, both in decor and apparel.

The air was electric with festivity and reunion. Friends greeted one another. Older women oooed and awwwd over the children dressed in cheerleader or football uniforms, offspring of the young adults they had known for years. Students walked through the crowd, many sporting the ever-popular gold and black striped overalls. The university cheerleaders arrived shortly before the game to stir the crowd. 

It was a fun few hours of visiting friends, ones we had met at previous games and new ones.

About an hour before kick-off, we packed the food away, dismantled the tents, folded the chairs, and put them away, and cleaned up our spot. It was finally time for the main attraction. We made our way to the stadium along with the throng of fans.

I am married to a college football enthusiast. We went to all the Gator home football games when we were dating and first married. We have dear friends we have traveled with to away games almost every year (COVID and hurricanes have recently interfered). I have been to many stadiums in the southeast, but I have to say, none is as pretty as Kidd Brewer Stadium at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. It is a medium-sized stadium nestled in the mountains with a panorama of mountain views.

The game started with the pageantry of a full marching band. The team’s beloved mascot, Josef, entered the stadium by zip-lining down to the field from the top of the press box while holding an American flag. Amazing!

I’m normally more of a people watcher than a game watcher at football games, but this one had me hooked. It was so exciting and came down to the last seconds of the game. The united disdain for some of the referee’s calls was entertaining. People will probably email complaints.

At the conclusion of the game, we walked back to the car, chatting with other fans about the win. We waited for the crowds to disperse and then headed home. A quick trip through a local drive-through for a burger and shake ended our day. 

“It was just a football game,” you might say. “What’s so great about that?” 

That’s true, but it turned out to be much more. For about twelve hours on that Saturday, I did not stress about how much I had to do before our upcoming move. I did not worry about my son and his family’s international flight the next day. The seemingly endless news of tragedy in this broken world did not bring me down. I simply enjoyed being in a beautiful setting with delightful friends on a crisp fall day, enjoying an American pastime. 

I hope I get to experience more days like this. I hope I can experience more times when I can shut the world off and enjoy what is important—the beauty of nature and the fellowship of friends. How about you?