Interviews by Liza Gorstan & Bianca Posterli
Photographed by Vince Lupo
Dennis & Treena Clampitt, 42 and 35, Arbutus
How long have you been tailgating? We started tailgating at Memorial Stadium when the Ravens first came to town, so that’s 11 years. key people in your party? Besides us, there’s Billy Clampitt, Dana Brown and Toni and Harold Veasle.
Principal tailgating venue? Billy’s got a minivan and we have a pickup truck; we set up canopies and bring the gas grill and sometimes a Weber grill. (We had our gas grill stolen once; the Ravens reimbursed us $250.)
Where do you set up? The G lot, near the light rail; we’ve been in the same spot since they moved to this stadium. It’s really cool because we’ve made friends with other people that are there. Like the Poe brothers, who are next to us. Everyone knows where to find us.
Who are your regulars? All of our friends from Arbutus and Catonsville, friends of friends. Marty Bass and Ron Matz stop by. They started tailgating with the Poe brothers, and then we and the Poes have mingled into one huge tailgate. Mike Seidel from the Weather Channel broadcasted from our tailgate area.
How many people served on a typical game day? On a typical day, I would say 50 to 100.
Typical menu? We always have dips and appetizers and beef and most weeks we have either crabs or shrimp. We always have Jell-O shooters, and sometimes we have a turkey on the grill.
How much do you spend per game? Do you want the truth or what I tell my husband? $200 to $300, but everyone always brings something. And that includes the liquor.
Most memorable game/tailgate ever? Last year’s opening tailgate was a lot of fun. We seemed to have more people, it was a great party. That was the first time I set up the tiki bar, which was a big hit. I have a blender and make mixed drinks. Any kind of frozen daiquiris, creamsicles- I add strawberries and a shot of Malibu rum.
Do you go into the stadium to watch the game? Yes, we usually get to our seats right before the national anthem. For 1 o’clock games, we start to break down at quarter after 12. We get cleaned up and have one more drink before we go into the stadium. Brian Billick walks across the bridge before every game and I always go up and “pinkie swear” with him. The home games we’ve lost are the games when we didn’t pinkie swear.
Where do you watch the away games? A lot of times we get together at a friend’s house, or a local pub. It’s really important that we watch it together- it doesn’t matter where.
Where were you for the Ravens’ 2001 Super Bowl victory? We were at the Arbutus town hall with 200 other people. We didn’t make the trip to the game because our kids were too young.
Predictions for the coming season? I think the season’s shaping up pretty good, especially now that we have a quarterback who knows about the game. I’m very excited about that.
Rodger Brummett, 40, Glen Rock, Pa.
How long have you been tailgating? Since the Ravens came to town in ‘96.
Principal tailgating venue? We use the “SWAT” (“Stop Working And Tailgate”) truck; it’s a converted 1979 Snyder’s delivery truck.
Key people in your party? Ron Verrecchio, Gary Curley and Greg Wolf.
How many regulars? 30.
How many people served on a typical game day? Anywhere from 30 to 60 people, depending on who shows up that day.
Typical menu? For the first game we always do boardwalk fries and shrimp; we cook venison because we have a lot of hunters in the group. Sometimes we roast a whole pig. We’ve had crabs, ribs, steak, burgers, sausage. We have a running joke: no salads allowed, and no tablecloths. We always have two or three types of sausage, and we always have hamburgers and hot dogs for the kids.
How much do you spend per game? There’s a core group of eight to 10 of us that ride in the truck, and it costs $20 each per game for gas and upkeep on the truck, then it’s another $10 each for food and beer, so $20 to $30 per game. Some people pay for the season in advance, and the regulars pay for their friends.
Most Memorable game/tailgate? Last year for the opening game against the Colts, we had Rob Fahey perform. He’s a local musician who played with a group called the Ravyns. It was just a great night with the food and the shrimp and the music. It’s the kind of music everyone knows. He’s very popular around Baltimore and he’s a friend of my brother-in-law.
What makes your tailgate special? The fact that I tailgate with a lot of close friends, a lot of guys I played softball with, my mom and dad come, my whole family comes. I have three little boys, and it’s very family-oriented.
Do you go into the stadium to watch the game? Yes, always. For 1 o’clock games we start to clean up and put stuff into the truck around noon, so that we have time to walk in and get to our seats.
Where do you watch the away games? Usually at home by myself. I don’t enjoy going to bars to watch the game because you can’t relax, people are talking and you miss stuff.
Predictions for the coming season? My predication is that they’ll finish over .500, but not make it to the Super Bowl. Our offensive line is going to be a lot better than everyone thinks.
Dawn Tognocchi, 25, Towson
How long have you been tailgating? This will be our fourth year.
Key people in your party? Me and my boyfriend, Matt.
Principal tailgating venue? The “Rovin’ Raven,“a 1994 RV that I bought from my neighbor. We also have a Ravens tent and carpets, Ravens chairs, Ravens cup holders- everything’s purple in regards to the utensils and plates.
Where do you set up? We set up in Lot H, along the back side- it’s the only spot where they allow RVs.
Who are your regulars? My friends Keith, Chris, Ray Burne Sr. and Ray Burne Jr.
How many people served on a typical game day? I’d say 15 to 20 at least- that’s on a slow day. Opening game last year was about 100 to 150.
Typical menu? I have a special recipe for meatballs, then hamburgers, hot dogs, marinated chicken, chips’n'salsa, dips, cheese and pepperoni.
How much do you spend per game? I’d say about $200 to $250, depending on how much beer and alcohol we get. About $175 for the food.
Most memorable game/tailgate ever? The home opener against the Colts. We had a great group of people, it was a lot of friends and we met some new people.
What makes your tailgate special? It’s always a good time- we play poker and card games, we have the Xbox and several TVs. People can play football games, watch the games from earlier in the day or highlights.
Do you go into the stadium to watch the game? Yes, we always do. We get to the lot when it opens, five hours prior to kickoff. We start cleaning up 45 minutes prior to game time.
Where do you watch the away games? The Rec Room in Towson. It’s the bar where my boyfriend and I used to work and we still go up there every weekend. It’s got big plasma TVs and food and drink specials for the game.
Where were you for the Ravens’ 2001 Super Bowl victory? I didn’t have tickets at the time, so I was at my mom’s house in Owings Mills with my family. Hopefully this year I’ll be in Miami with the team.
Predictions for the coming season? I think we’re gonna go all the way this year- I really do- we have all the missing pieces to the puzzle that we needed. We got some great acquisitions with McNair and the guys in the draft. I think we are back to the caliber of the year we won the Super Bowl.
‘The Poe Brothers,’ Gary & Marc Sher, 45 and 49, Ellicott City and Pocomoke City
How long have you been tailgating? Since the first year the Ravens came, 1996.
Principal tailgating venue? We are always in the same spot, in Lot G, with three vehicles and our tents.
Key people in your party? My brother and myself, we do all the planning. We both really love to cook and entertain. We are always the first ones on the lot- we get there around 7 in the morning. We always feed the parking lot staff and the police officers.
How many regulars? We have a group of probably 70 “members,” so to speak. Everyone has their own personalized cup with their own number. Not all 70 come to every game- we usually have anywhere from 30 to 50.
Typical menu? We are famous for three things: our tenderloin, our Maryland crab soup and crab dip. Our tenderloin is called “tailgate tenderloin"a nd has won national tailgate contests. We always have ham, mac-and-cheese, steamed shrimp, corned beef, pulled pork, turkey, burgers, hot dogs, wings and ribs.
How much do you spend per game? We try to keep it a secret from our wives, but it’s between $500 and $1,000.
Most Memorable game/tailgate? Marc: The Weather Channel comes every year and sets up at our tailgate to broadcast- that’s always special. They’ve been here three years in a row. Joe Cann [commissioner of tailgating] stops by once a year, so last year he stopped by when the Weather Channel was here, so that was kind of a double-whammy. Gary: The first playoff game with Denver, Super Bowl year. It was really cold that day, but the mood in the air was electric.
What makes your tailgate special? If you’re a Ravens fan, there’s no better place to be. We talk Ravens football and enjoy the food. Everyone feels like a regular- it’s a feeling of belonging.
Do you go into the stadium to watch the game? We always go to the game. That’s the most important part. As much as we enjoy the tailgate, the best thing is walking into the game.
Where were you for the Ravens’ 2001 Super Bowl victory? We went to the Super Bowl. We invest so much of our time in the team, if they make it to the Super Bowl, we’re gonna be there.
Predictions for the coming season? Marc: I think the pieces are in place for a really good season and hopefully we’ll get to the Super Bowl, that’s the goal every year. Gary: I think it’s gonna be better than last season, but I think 10-6.
John Aldave, 45, Catonsville
How long have you been tailgating? I used to do some with the Colts, but we’ve been doing it here [at M&T Bank Stadium] for five seasons now.
Principal tailgating venue? We decided to buy a bus so we could transport everyone. We started out in a Ford Explorer and another car and it kinda grew- now we’ve moved to a pickup truck and the bus.
Key people in your party? Bill Crochunis- it’s his parking pass- and his two sons Nate and Mike, a couple other guys and myself. I drive the bus and I keep the bus at my house.
Who are your regulars? All friends of ours. Bill was my neighbor and we kind of hooked up friends with friends. There’s about a dozen regulars, but on opening day we have about 70 people.
How many people served on a typical game day? About 20 to 30 people.
Typical menu? Sausage, pit beef, pork, turkey, shrimp, hot dogs and burgers, filet mignon. There’s always a day in the winter when we deep-fry a turkey.
How much do you spend per game? The regulars usually get the food, and people will bring things. We’ll charge everyone that attends or rides down on the bus that isn’t a regular $10. We have a beer tap out of the back of the bus and they can eat; usually that will cover the expenses. We have a treasurer and he takes care of the money and pays the insurance and if we need to reimburse someone for parking passes.
What makes your tailgate special? Everybody gets along with each other, even if the game stinks or the Ravens aren’t doing well. Everyone gets a beer and talks to each other, and the circle of friends keeps on growing.
Do you go into the stadium to watch the game? Yeah, all the time. Sometimes we’ll light up the grill after the game and hang out till the traffic dies down.
Where do you watch the away games? We’ll meet somewhere, sometimes at a bar, but most of the time we hang at the house- people will spend all day together hanging around the house.
Where were you for the Ravens’ 2001 Super Bowl victory? At the game in Tampa. A friend of mine won a lottery for tickets and offered me one.
Predictions for the coming season? We got Steve McNair, so things are looking a little brighter. I think things will improve a lot and we’ll be back in the playoffs. How far we go depends on a few things, but I think we can go deep.
Sam Polakoff, 37, Homeland
How long have you been tailgating? Since the stadium was built in 1998.
Principal tailgating venue? We have a big commercial box truck. And we have the tiki bar, that’s our signature thing. One of the guys in the group made it. We take it apart and then assemble it on site.
Key people in your party? It’s me, Marshall Davis, Chris Schattal and Sean Hallinan. We’re all friends and work on this together.
Who are your regulars? It’s usually huge- family, friends and co-workers. h
How many served on a typical game day? On the big night games it’s over 100. We won a Ravens “Best Tailgate” award two years ago. They took our pictures and put us up on the big screen.
Typical menu? All the standards- burgers, dogs, things like that. We always try to do something a little bit special depending on the time of year and who we’re playing. When it gets cold, we do special drinks like hot chocolate and peppermint schnapps. We try to customize each tailgate for the appropriate visiting team and weather.
How much do you spend per game? We spend a lot more for the night games than the day games. It’s a lot of money when you think about the food and beverage we go through- it’s many hundreds of dollars.
Most Memorable game/tailgate? I think the first tailgate where we brought out the tiki bar was a night game three years ago, and everyone went totally crazy. We tailgated for hours and hours. We went through everything that we brought, we went home with nothing. We had tons of people who came just for the tailgate and then went home and didn’t even go to the game.
What makes your tailgate special? Definitely the tiki bar- it has lighting on it, so it really stands out. At night it’s really cool.
Do you go into the stadium to watch the game? Absolutely. I missed my first game ever this year. It was the Christmas night game, and it was the only home game I’ve missed since they came to the new stadium.
Where were you for the Ravens’ 2001 Super Bowl victory? I was at the game. I got tickets through the Ravens.
Predictions for the coming season? My prediction is that we’ll be fighting for a playoff spot. I think it’s gonna be close- it’s gonna come down to the wire. We have a tough schedule this year.
