Tailgating at the I-85 War
Panthers Fans and Falcons Fans Pull Out All the Stops In Uptown Charlotte
Football
Rob Black
The Carolina Panthers and the Atlanta Falcons have a rivalry fueled by proximity. Charlotte and Atlanta are only a short drive on Interstate 85 apart from each other and the familiarity definitely breeds contempt. The NFL knew exactly what it was doing when it placed the two teams in the NFC South together.
It doesn’t matter what the record of either team is, the fans from both sides are going to come out in droves, and they’re going to take their tailgate parties to another gear. This year’s meeting in uptown Charlotte was no exception. The weather was gorgeous, the grills were hot and the beer was cold.
Chris Long is a Falcons season-ticket holder who comes down from Ohio each year to put out a red and black spread for his guests. “We’ve got a nice spread here today with pulled pork and cheesy macaroni. But I am most proud of my Grandma’s brunswick stew recipe. It’s a long-held family secret that my guests devour every year.”
Another hit at Long’s tailgate party was the boiled peanuts. “The secret to good boiled peanuts is that you have to get them fresh – dug up within the last day,” added family member Milton Long.
Meanwhile, a few blocks away, Panthers fan Dan Johnson had a party going on that took up virtually a whole parking lot. “My group has around 50 people and we’ve been coming to the games since the Panthers first season,” said Johnson. On this day, Johnson was grilling a huge sirloin steak as well as a pork loin. The party was so big it had its own DJ playing dance tunes. “We all get out here super early and everyone contributes something,” added Johnson. “My job is to bring the grill.”
There were many vehicles adorned with Panthers and Falcons gear, but few matched James Swain’s setup. Swain drove a small bus and 40 Falcons fans from his home in Jonesburg, Georgia. The bus was looked like it had been driven right through the middle of the Falcons team store – there was so much paraphernalia all over it. “We’ve got a pretty big spread here today with ribs and chicken and steaks,” said Swain. “And we do this for all the home games too.”
Not to be outdone, Deanna Roland of Charlotte parked in the same lot as Swain and staked her claim to having the top party. “We like to do a variety of foods. There’s no real favorite, we like to say that our best dish is whatever we are having today!” Roland’s guests dined on London broil and ate every last morsel. “I’ve got my bobbleheads lined up across the back of the truck for good luck,” she added.
The bobbleheads must have worked because the Panthers beat the Falcons 28-19 splitting the two game series for the year. The Falcons fans were dismayed, but vow to get the Panthers back with both a better game and a better tailgate party in Atlanta next season.
