It's Sunday, Denver--and not just any Sunday--it's Broncos game day. And you know what that means: booze, burgers and lots and lots of football.
For Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs, we took a dive into the tailgate mayhem at the parking lot of Mile High Stadium to see which Broncos fans went beyond the call of tailgating duty and which ones just came to party because, well, Broncos.
Two educators by trade, Christine Sanchez and Joe Diesel, fixed this former school bus up into the Elway Express, home of their own little piece of Broncos Nation.
"'Bronconation' gets a lot of flack," Diesel said. "But Elway and Von Miller both recently adopted the name."
Sanchez said the bus made for a great family project for the Pueblo-based clan--and they don't even mind when the odd Kansas City fan joins the party.
Brogan Belknap, 10, is in for a treat. Sunday marked his first ever Broncos game, though he said he's been a big fan for about five years.
His father, Don Belknap, is originally from Ohio, but he converted his allegiance to the Broncos when he moved to Colorado, 20 years ago.
Hundreds of fans lined up to watch the Broncos strut into the stadium. When Von Miller emerged, the crowd went wild, several fans tried to flag him down.
Don Hartanov celebrated his 65th birthday in style. A Broncos fan since he moved from Chicago in 1981, he said his work with KOA radio made him an instant fan.
Now, every home game, he brings his RV, his friends and all the fixin's for a good time. Sunday's game marked the debut of the live band, but he said it's been so popular, there will probably be repeat performances.
Meanwhile in the Sports Legends Mall, Susanne and Peter--also converted Broncos fans from Ohio--pose with some presidents, who are also clearly Broncos fans.
Care for a steak? How about 25?
These fans took fine tailgating to the next level. But before the feast, Augie Guzman warmed himself near the grill.
"I'm a Broncos fan--is there any other kind?" he said.
But at the end of the day, it isn't really about who tailgated best. It's about having fun and hanging with friends--just kidding, it's obviously about who wins the game.
Multimedia business & healthcare reporter Chloe Aiello can be reached via email at [email protected] or twitter.com/chlobo_ilo.
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