Emily Nelson, Editor
09-21-2008
It’s a tough choice between a birthday party and a tailgate party.Ingenious Tech fans pick both.
There were at least two such birthday bashes during tailgating festivities prior to Saturday’s football contest pitting Southeastern Louisiana against Louisiana Tech.
Brent Colvin, who turned 9 on Saturday, had a mini birthday party at Centerpoint Entergy’s tailgating site, and even better, he’ll have another today.
“We asked him if he wanted a birthday party, but he said he’d rather come to the Tech game,” said Brent’s father Lance Colvin, a Centerpoint employee. “He’s actually at a cousin’s birthday party in Minden right now but is supposed to get here a couple of hours before the game starts.
Centerpoint’s tailgating tent included a birthday banner for Brent, but he’ll receive even more birthday wishes today.
“We’ll have a party for him tomorrow,” Lance Colvin said. “He’s a big Tech football fan, and this is were he wanted to be on his birthday.”
There were 15-20 Centerpoint employees helping young Brent celebrate his birthday.
“We have that number of people out here every game,” Lance Colvin said. “It’s just a good chance to get together, have fun and enjoy Tech football.”
Brent Colvin wasn’t the only one having a birthday celebration during Tech tailgating. Calvary Baptist’s tailgating area included birthday banners and a blow-up picture of youth minister Kathy Nelson.
“I can’t believe they did this to me,” Nelson said laughingly. “That picture is from my honeymoon. The students got together and did this for my birthday, and it’s great. But I sure do wish it was another picture they would have used.”
And for the 27th straight year, the Sortor Street gang was in fine form with 25-30 people celebrating tailgating and Tech football.
“We were the original tailgaters,” Mary Soto said. “There wasn’t really anyone else out here when we started tailgating. That was back before there was a fence around the stadium.”
“Our kids were the ones rolling down the hill during the football games in the early 1980s. Now they’re bringing their kids — our grandkids — out to tailgating.”
Soto’s husband said the tailgating group was based around a neighborhood group of friends.
“Most of us live on, or around, Sortor Street or have friends who do so,” Tony Soto said. “We’ve always been here and always plan to.”
Ronny Walker of First National Bank was hard at work early Saturday to begin preparations for the two whole pigs and 12 pork loins he cooked for FNB’s tailgating tent, which was equipped with two high definition televisions.
“It’s a wonderful day for tailgating,” Walker said. “Hopefully the Bulldogs will take care of business and close things out on a good note, because the tailgating has the day off to a great start.”
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