Brewers fans back to tailgating
American Family Field capacity limited to 25% due to pandemic
“The whole last year has been a lot of sitting around. It’s good to see this. I live for this, going to games, concerts.”
Dan Vassh Machinist from Racine
It felt like a second opening day, a little gift of springtime after a long hard year.
Tailgating returned to American Family Field on Monday as the Milwaukee Brewers played the rival Chicago Cubs.
So what if the crowd was small, the pandemic forcing an attendance limit to 25% of the ballpark’s capacity.
And yes, safety rules were enforced. No group tailgates. A space between each parked car. Ticket holders in pods sticking around each vehicle. (Try untangling that idea decades from now).
But why not celebrate something normal, or at least, near normal?
COVID-19 isn’t gone. There could still be some twists and setbacks along the way. But every step toward the way things used to be feels so significant right now.
Even the weather was nice, sunny skies, temperatures in the 50s, some blustery wind to remind you that this is still Wisconsin, after all.
The gates to the parking lots opened a little after 4 p.m. Out came chairs and grills, snacks and drinks.
There was some beer pong action and a few people tossed bean bags. Fathers and their kids got out their baseball mitts and played catch on an open expanse of asphalt.
Music blared from some cars but not loud enough to wipe away the ever-present whir of cars on the nearby interstate.
But mostly, people were just soaking up the sun,
the smoke and the food.
Irene and Garrie Cummings of Kenosha were cooking chicken, brats and hamburgers. She’s an emergency room nurse, he works in a warehouse. They’ve been taking care during the pandemic, remaining cautious. But this outing just felt so right.
“It’s amazing,” Irene Cummings said. “We have a 20-game package and last season we didn’t get to go.”
This was their third visit to the park this season. And it just gets better every time they go.
“I’m glad they’re tailgating, otherwise it’s not a Brewer game,” Garrie Cummings said.
Terrance Johannsen, a chef from Cudahy, was with his friend Michelle Smith. And he was cooking up a feast.
“We’re doing skirt steaks,” he said. “Italian sausage. Burgers with carmelized balsamic vinegar and onion glaze. This is what tailgating should be like.”
Johannsen said allowing tailgating at the ballpark was another sign that “things are opening up more.” “Hopefully, we’re getting back to normal,” he said. Rick Frederickson, a quality engineer from Racine, stuck to the tailgate basics.
“Brats and hot dogs are just traditional,” he said. Robert Hilbrich brought his wife and their kids up from Chicago to take in the game and cheer on the
Cubs. Hilbrich wears his allegiance on his forearm, with a pair of Cubs tattoos.
Hilbrich has been working throughout the pandemic at a pizzeria. Takeout orders sustained the business.
“It’s not yet normal,” he said about what it felt like to be tailgating. “But it’s nice to have this available to us. I’m very lucky. Everyone in my family has been healthy.”
Zach Campine, a college student from Green Bay, was a Brewers fan through and through. Instead of a Cubs W flag for victory, he had a small L flag that he used as a tablecloth.
“I haven’t done much too public like this,” said Campine.
He was just happy to be on a road trip.
Dan Vassh, a machinist from Racine, set up a grill by his pickup and took a photo of brats and hot dogs cooking.
“I’m really glad tailgating is back,” he said. “The whole last year has been a lot of sitting around. It’s good to see this. I live for this, going to games, concerts.”
He’s hoping that he can soon spend time with his grandparents, who are in their 90s. The last time he saw them in person was Christmas 2019.
“We’ve talked on the phone, but it’s not the same,” he said.
It’s not.
But little by little, normal life is returning.
It’s not perfect, but it’s a start, Tailgating with all the trimmings — brats, burgers and yes, beer.