Mississippi State University football and tailgating have been a massive part of my time for 20 years — my entire life — but recently, it has not been as enjoyable. My family and I have always tailgated in front of Dorman Hall. It has always been a great spot. We could see the band when they marched through, we are close to the Dawg Walk and it is just a short walk to MAFES for ice cream — a must-have on game day.
Last year, MSU made big changes to the gameday experience. A gigantic stage produces so much noise that we cannot hear ourselves think. Vendors selling food and merchandise are blocking the only accessible road to tents around that area.
When attempting to put my thoughts together for this article, I looked up the exact definition of “tailgate,” which is to host or attend a party where an informal meal is served from the back of a parked vehicle. I wanted to include this definition because I think the food trucks and the stage performances defeat the purpose of tailgating. Of course, this is my opinion, but I have heard similar comments from other long-time MSU tailgaters.
Marilyn Johnston, a Mississippi State alumna from Starkville and a retired technical advisor, has been tailgating in front of Dorman Hall since 1986. She brings her grill and cooks every single game. She is a hardcore State fan.
“I’m OK with the music, but I don’t like the vendors at all. I don’t see a real purpose for them,” Johnston said. “I feel like it turns the tailgate into a carnival atmosphere instead of old-time tailgating. They are trying to ruin the experience by making it harder and harder to set up and tear down your tailgate.”
It has become a struggle to set up tailgates this year due to the closing of roads, the unrest and the chaos the vendors and concert stage bring to the street. It is a nightmare, but that may be the point.
Lane Reed, mayor of Meadville, Mississippi, is an MSU alumnus and has been tailgating since 1983. He is a member of the Gridiron Club and has tailgated all over campus over the years. This year, he has not set up an individual tailgate but has gone to the Gridiron tent.
“It has added excitement back into tailgating. I love the big television broadcasting the other football games and the unified sound throughout the junction,” Reed said.
I do not feel a unified sound from the stage performances. I hear fingernails on a chalkboard and the rubbing of styrofoam. Annoying, cringeworthy and loud. The performances alone would be impressive, but it almost feels like a battle of who can play music the loudest, The Junction tailgaters or the chosen band of game day?
Reed believes the vendors and the stage are an attempt to “encourage” and “support” tailgating. He also thinks the Gridiron Club experience should be expanded and open earlier on gameday.
Paul Picard, another MSU alumnus, owns a small home inspection company in Starkville and is a retired fisheries biologist. He has been tailgating in front of Dorman Hall since 2004.
“I don’t like the vendors or music. We can’t hear each other talking, and the vendors block access to the other tailgates,” Picard said. “MSU has every right to regulate what happens in and around the tailgating area, but in moving forward with some of these changes, they have alienated many of the people who tailgate in that area. It seems they have taken a rather passive-aggressive approach — they are essentially muscling us out.”
I have no problem with the university attempting to create a newer, welcoming environment for tailgating, but that is not the reasoning behind these changes. The road is blocked off, and people are relocating their tailgates due to the stage’s placement. The best option would be to relocate the vendors and remove the stage.
The vendors could move to the other side of The Junction, next to the kids’ play area. That way, the roads would be more accessible, and the vendors would probably get more business. They could even relocate farther up the road instead of right in front of Dorman — there is plenty of road up there that no one uses.
I see no point in the stage. Everyone is playing music and watching football games on television; the stage only adds chaos to the sounds of a gameday. Earlier in the season, someone stated the stage performances are to drown out the Greek Life music. If that is the case, I can say for a fact that it does not.
While Mississippi State is my home away from home, the tailgating experience is just not what it used to be, and it is slowly becoming more of a chore than a joy. Though that might be the point the university is trying to make, whatever the idea, I will stick it out for as long as possible. Hail State!
