Flordia/Georgia Weekend

I decided to get out of State College Town this past weekend to head down to the yearly shit show in Jacksonville, commonly referred to as “Florida/Georgia” Weekend.

The city of Jacksonville and Alltell Stadium host the yearly matchup between the bitter SEC rivals, and because of Jacksonville’s proximity to both Gainesville, Fla., and Athens, Ga., the fans travel extremely well. Many head down to start the festivities as early as the Wednesday before the game, populating “RV City,” as it is known by the locals. It is little more than an asphalt expanse that becomes home to the rowdy out-of-towners and their rolling tailgate machines.

With an off day for State University’s squad and the “World’s Largest Cocktail Party” beckoning, I set off on the trip with four brothers, a graduate brother and a friend of his from home down I-95. We met up with another graduate brother who makes his home there, and joined in on the madness.

The game is no longer known by that appropriate aforementioned moniker, because the powers at be did not feel it a good representation of their schools or conference, but a rose by any other name is still a rose. It was like nothing I had seen before; someone had described it to me as Mardi Gras, but the Crescent City’s most well-known bash is not fueled by SEC football fervor as Jacksonville’s party is.

While we were all impressed with the all-out rage that went from morning till the next day’s dawn, what struck me most was the southern culture that dripped from every participant in Duval County. As we headed home Sunday in an intoxicated haze through Georgia, one of the passengers in the car pointed out the fleet of decked out RVs that rumbled down the highway across from us. I lifted my head and peered across to see about 15 luxury vehicles that double as condos gliding down the highway. The sight joggled my beer and bourbon flooded brain and I couldn’t help but smile at the time honored tradition of tailgating that these people take so seriously and do so well.

This weekend transcends tailgates or football contests for its fans. The jersey clad supporters who flock to this southern metropolis are not merely co-eds and frat daddies; no, it brings with it the young, the old and the infirm. College students shotgunned beers along with their grandfathers. Middle-school aged children viewed with awe as their fathers tossed ping pong balls across stained fold-up tables. Women crowed at televisions when a call went against the squad they supported.

I love football, and I really love tailgating, but these people put me to shame. College football, drinking and grilling double as vacations and family reunions down south, and you don’t have to look any further than the grand domiciles on wheels they boast to prove it. Those fans were not huddling around 10’’ black and whites adorned with rabbit ears; rather, on display were 35’’ HDTVs hooked up to satellite dishes, some equipped with surround sound so the whole “block” could listen in. The grills and the steaks were industrial sized.

The whole scene was fascinating. At first, I chuckled at the simplicity of these “hicks” who spend all of their disposable income on getting drunk and watching 20-year olds crash into one another. But, after seeing the proud fleet rolling down 95, I began to sing a different tune. Sure, my parents and their friends would be aghast at people their age drinking and behaving as though they were my age, and perhaps that isn’t the healthiest of behavior in front of offspring, but the sense of community and pride these people displayed was refreshing. We Yanks fret about our savings and 401ks so we can jet off to the Caribbean or sport a new Beemer every few months, mostly to one up our neighbors, friends and relatives. But that’s not what I witnessed in Jacksonville.

Instead, I saw friends, family and neighbors taking part in a holiday, and the expenses they put into it were not for show but for celebration. They happily swapped hamburgers for beers, chairs for cornhole sets and made room for everyone to gather around their tvs. We northerners poke fun at the Confederacy and the simpletons that call it home, mainly because they buy into the country singer stereotype. And even though I can now confirm those stereotypes are accurate, they are rooted in the southern culture of hospitality. The community feel is intoxicating, and even though it might not win any of them prize money on Jeopardy!, it is a sweet and happy way to go through life.