A grill, a chair and a ticket. Partying has never been so simple.
That's the type of celebration that C.J. Wimmer runs on some Saturday mornings in Ogden. It's all part of a football culture where fans gather before the games for a tailgate party.
"If I am going to go to a game I might as well make a day out of it," said Wimmer, a Weber State University graduate who lives in Clinton. "Bring the kids and let them run around and be with family and friends and sit around and get ready to eat some good food -- and go watch football."
At the tailgate party before the University of Utah football team opened its season against Utah State University two weeks ago, campus parking lots were buzzing with activity.
Thirty minutes before game time, Randy Lewis, from Bountiful, puts away the grill and heads to the stadium holding his wife's hand, the rest of the family in tow.
"We attended our first tailgate in 1979. This is our 30-year anniversary," the Bountiful man said.
When asked what has changed in three decades, Lewis laughed, "We are not the only ones."
"In the last 10 years, the deal has changed," he said. "It's not about football. It's about the event. It's a family thing. You can go around campus and we (tailgaters) are all over."
Eric Short, from North Salt Lake, has been able to spend his Saturdays with his extended family.
"We always loved Utah football and it was just a way to get out and enjoy the atmosphere more," said Short. "It used to be show up, go to the game, go home.
"It's just a better opportunity to get together and enjoy the Utah atmosphere."
Short has seen his own tailgating group grow by leaps and bounds in his six-year experience. Early on, 15 to 20 people would show up for the party. Today, through word of mouth, his tailgating fiestas have grown to more than 100 in attendance.
"The more the merrier," Short said.
Wimmer got his first taste of tailgating at Boise State University and the University of Oregon. When he set up last year at a Weber State game, he noticed a stark contrast.
"In the first game last year, I believe we counted four or five tailgating," he said.
However, the tradition appears to be taking hold in Ogden.
"So by the end of the year there were hundreds (tailgating)," Wimmer said. "It was a great thing to see at Weber State."
Tailgaters say their parties are meant to enhance the football experience.
"I think growing up, everybody wanted to do the tailgating thing," Short said. "But it wasn't part of the culture (here in Utah)."
That culture is changing, Short and others believe.
For Lewis, the 30-year veteran of tailgating, it's still all about getting his family together.
"Look around and there's kids all over the place," Lewis said. "My kids have been coming since they were 2 and 3 years old. That's the next generation of Utes.
"When we are old and walking on a cane, they will be taking us to games with their kids."
WANNA TRY TAILGATING?
The Weber State University Wildcats football team opens its season at 6 p.m. today against the Idaho State University Bengals at Stewart Stadium, 3848 Harrison Blvd., Ogden.
Setting up your own tailgating party is free, and space is available on a first come, first served basis in campus parking lots.
Camping overnight is not encouraged.
WSU's remaining home football games offering tailgating opportunities this season are:
* 1 p.m. Oct. 3 vs. the Montana State University Bobcats
* 1 p.m. Oct. 17 vs. the Sacramento State University Hornets (Homecoming)
* Noon Nov. 14 vs. the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks
* Noon Nov. 21 vs. the Cal Poly Mustangs
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