Auburn Tailgates, Where There Are No Strangers — I have been a lifelong fan of the Auburn Tigers, specifically their football team. Early memories involve Bo flying over defenders to score another game-winning TD or Tracy Rocker hitting an opposing QB so hard he would reevaluate the life choices that had brought him to this point of pain and despair. But my true understanding of what it meant to be part of the Auburn Family didn’t arrive until my first game day and my introduction to tailgating. I was a transfer junior and therefore old enough to partake in all the festivities. My friends and I left my apartment and headed for the game. As we walked across campus enjoying our refreshing beers, we passed people tailgating. Families, friends, coworkers, and social groups had their little section of Auburn stacked out and were grilling, playing, and drinking beer. And that is when it started, the incredible and unexpected hospitality of an Auburn tailgate! Every tailgate we passed offered us food or another beer. Strangers, yet as I learned, part of the larger Auburn Family, insisted we try their deep-fried Cajun turkey or Grandma’s potato salad. At each gathering, we would be offered another beer. This communal experience, this sharing a beer together, was altogether transcendent. I have come to love this part of the game day more than I love the game itself.
