The True Story Behind the Great "Tailgation Evaluation Station" Experiment of 2009

So Kyle and I were discussing our plans for driving up to Autzen Stadium for the big game on Saturday and a really crazy idea sprang to life.
In the interest of providing an accurate portrayal of exactly what happened, I will provide interested readers (like my grandchildren someday) with the real, honest and accurate historical account of just how it all went down.
It was Wednesday morning, I think. About 10:30 when Kyle came to me with this crazy look in his eye.
"I've got an idea."
Calmly, and patronizlingly I said, "Now Kyle don't go gettin us in trouble again like that one time in Curtin on the way home from Ramsey."
Kyle sat down and began to explain a scandal so totally self serving and mooch-like I had to approve.
The beauty of the scheme was that it also could be construed as a totally legit promotion for the radio station.

And now you know why we love what we do...

Kyle's idea was to somehow get to Autzen Stadium early enough to avoid the traffic jam, but late enough for all the tailgaters in the Autzen parking lot to have established the perimeters of their pre-game territory.

In otherwords, we wouldn't want to get there until the grills were hot and full of greasy processed, marinated meat.
And the drinks were nice and cold.

Kyle's deviant plan went a step further, despite my protests.
I said things like, "Hmmm." And, "I see."

Kyle got rolling. He was throwing his hands around and standing up now, sweat beading up in his forehead.
I couldn't understand everything he said because he was thinking out loud and forming up the details as I stood by just waiting for the result.
Like a kid who just put a dollar in a pop machine.

"I can write some promotional announcements...website...on air mentions...newsblocks...funny stuff...yes, yes."

The result of the idea has become a twisted public service for Duck fans who will be cavorting before (and hopefully after) the game.
We'll ask for invitations to tailgate locations around Autzen, pick one of them and stop in. Then, while we enjoy the pre-game fare, I will offer up a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to the host.
(That way, there's something in it for them.)

The reason it is so brilliant is because we've come up with a great name and the potential to even expand it further in the future. (Civil War?)

"The Tailgation Evaluation Station". (Kyle again, btw.)
Maybe next time we can bring something to the party.
Other than a bunch of hooey about providing a public service when really the whole thing is a shameless ploy to benefit from someone else's hard work.

I mean, it takes years (and tons of dough) to establish a real live, entertaining, successful tailgate tradition at a place like Autzen.

But like alot of other people in this business, we often take all the glory for other people's efforts.

But we don't always get fed.



PS - Invite Kyle and I by sending an email to kqen@bciradio.com. Include your cell phone, location and menu and maybe you'll be the 'lucky winner'.

See you Saturday!

PSS - We have received at least one complaint, that I know of, from a Beaver fan who is sick of hearing us crow(!) about the Ducks on this.
I have a message for that person:

Dear Sir,

Seriously!?

Is ESPN GameDay in Corvallis?

Can UCLA even spell 'Top 25'?

Is ANYONE going to be scalping OSU UCLA tickets outside of Reser Saturday?

No, no and no.

(And I would have written the same thing if I were the voice of Oregon State Wrestling.)

Thanks for listening.

Go Ducks.

A Hero's Welcome

Saturday's United Way Heroes' Breakfast was a big hit again this year.
Local volunteers get together for a few hours at the Boys and Girls Club as a fund raiser for the United Way and as a day that provides life-long memories for kids and their parents.
Oh, and for the heroes, too.

During the four hours at the B&G Club, more than 100 kids came through. They collected autographs from the likes of Shrek and Fiona, Snow White, Wonder Woman, Batman and Batgirl, Darth Vader and Mr Incredible and his daughter Violet.






Some smaller children are kinda overwhelmed and a bit shy.
Others kind of look at the heroes with suspicion and the older kids are there for the games and of course, the food. Brix 527 owner Misty and her staff cranked out awesome pancakes and sausage at no cost to the United Way.






Every once in a while, though, a kid comes through the door who is just the right age and buys into the show 100 percent.
This year, Supergirl came through the door and lit up the room with her excitement.
She exclaimed "Superman!!" when she saw him and held out her arms.


















Then Wonder Woman's name echoed through the gym.

Supergirl was there for at least two hours, hitting every station and smiling the whole time. By the end of her visit, every hero really felt like one and she will never forget that day, either.



















A couple of notes from the day:
Dan Bain came by to shoot some pics of the event. He sat down next to me, in my Mr Incredible suit, and we were talking about the good old days when a young man walked up with his mouth partially agog and big eyes.
He was pointing our way.
I figured he was a big Incredibles fan, but instead, the 11 year old stuttered and said, "Dan Bain!"
Just like the little kids on hand, he got to have breakfast with his hero.
It probably made Dan's day, too.

And finally, at the end of the morning, we gave away a bunch of prizes provided by PacificSource. We had video game systems, a flat panel TV and some other electronic gadgets. Each person was given a handful of tickets to put in the drawing for the item of their choice.
I took the mic and asked the crowd which prize they were hoping for.
A dad with one kid on his shoulders and three others around his legs hollered for the XBox. I told him it would be last and he was bummed out because he was so excited to win it.
After giving away all the rest of the swag, I took teh lid off the XBox container and sure enough, drew his name.
He went home happy to say the least.

I say the whole morning was...Incredible.

Duck Shots

I'm trying to come up with some witty recap of Oregon's 52-6 win over Warshington State Saturday night, but I'm writing this in between live segments on the morning show Monday and I'm sure for wittiness, Kyle's blog will beat mine anyway.
Here are some of the shots I took during and after the game.

The flyover was cool. The best shot I could get was on DuckVision, though:



















I took this shot of the final score from the field at the end. The "2:53" is the clock they run before letting the fans on the field:



















On the way out, I shot this pic of Autzen at night. Kinda looks like the Death Star or Cape Canavral just before launch.