Last weekend the regionals of the Bing National Tailgate Championship moved to Denver’s Mile High, where team Bronco Bus won the battle for tailgate supremacy. Chase Boswell, owner of the vehicle that gave the team its name, said the team has spent countless weekends upgrading the bus which has become a parking lot fixture in Denver. The Bronco Bus will be hitting the road to compete in the finals in Dallas/Fort Worth on February, 3rd
Next Sunday, the next event will roll onto New Meadowlands Stadium. Over the next few months we will be holding regional events at the following stadiums. If you’re in the area, come check out the competition and meet the Bing Team who will show you how Bing can help you make the most of your game day decisions.
- New York/New Jersey’s New Meadowlands Stadium – November 21st at 10:30 am
- University of Phoenix Stadium – December 5th at 11:30 am
- New Orleans’ Louisiana Superdome – December 12th at 12:30 pm
- Seattle’s Qwest Field – December 19th at 10:30 am
- Dallas/Fort Worth’s Sundance Square (Finals) – February 3rd
Joe Cahn joins us again this week with a recap of the action in Denver.
A mile high thank you to Denver!
By Joe Cahn
I was looking forward to this “Mile High” stop on the Bing National Tailgating Championship tour — not just because of the food and the atmosphere — but because of the unique tradition in Denver.
· “The Drive.”
· “The Fumble.”
· “The Orange Crush.”
· “The Three Amigos.”
The Super Bowl wins. The lore of this organization, founded in 1960, is something truly special to Broncos fans and the people of Denver.
And it always spills over to the parking lot.
Denver put on an incredible show that started with four teams that came out and gave their very best. I had mentioned that I was looking for a little “Rocky Mountain Flare” and these teams did not disappoint.
The Kuhl Brothers brought out a rolling history of Broncos memorabilia — and some superb steaks that made me think of the rolling ranches of Colorado.
JV’s Bronco Posse had a display awash in orange and blue — with some of the best Mexican food (with a distinctly Colorado flare) I have tasted at a tailgate. The breakfast burrito they offered up at the beginning was sublime.
Dean’s Donkey Den brought ponies. Yes, you read it right — they brought ponies out to their tailgate for people to ride. Oh, and their food was yet another example of doing it right “Mile High Style.” The ribs were a particular favorite of mine.
The Broncos Bus cooked up some remarkable burgers (a Denver Broncos parking lot legend, I found out) and did it up with an old-school bus decked out for a great time.
One of the great joys that I have as The Commissioner of Tailgating is the interaction with the teams and judges. In Denver, I spent time with the wonderfully funny Lori Midson of Westword, the legendary Denver restaurant maven Gabby Gourmet and Denver Broncos legend Karl Mecklenburg.
Clearly, they were impressed with all of the teams. Each of the judges was focused and took their jobs very seriously. For the record, I take my job very seriously but I don’t take myself too seriously — that’s why it seemed like a fine idea to have Karl Mecklenburg sign my head in the middle of the competition.
The feedback was universal: everyone did a great job and the teams represented Denver and the Denver Broncos very well. Just like our first stop, the teams showed great camaraderie and rooted each other on — and the winners are excited to be heading down to Texas to represent the Mile High City at the Super Bowl.
And, apparently, we’re some kind of good luck charm as evidenced by the email we received from Tom Harrington, the Broncos Bus fella decked out in his orange tuxedo:
“Fantastic setup, and a wonderful day for football. I think we need to do that before every Broncos home game. Clearly you all brought the Broncos some much needed luck.
Very pleased that we were able to participate, and of course, thrilled that we were fortunate enough to win!
If it means that we’d be able to spend more time with these amazing tailgaters and Denver Broncos fans, we’re in.”
Another great stop on the way to the champion — and this Sunday, we hit the New Meadowlands and the Jets/Texans tilt. There’s going to be some great tailgating with a distinctly New York/New Jersey flavor.
East Coast, we’re coming your way — and I’ll see you down the road.
– Joe “The Comish” Cahn
Additional posts of interest:
Thank you, Houston. Hello, Denver: The road to the Bing National Tailgating Championship