Family-friendly kickoff to season
Force fans follow their team to Gwinnett Arena

By GEORGE CHIDI
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 03/02/08
The "secret" lemonade wasn't much of a secret under the Force Fanatics tent.
Outside Gwinnett Arena on Saturday, amid the blue-and-black face paint and the Red Bull girls, the Lemon Lightning was the warm-up act to a long day of sports and partying.

At 1 p.m., the Georgia Force opened their Arena Football League season against the Dallas Desperados. Before kickoff, Dane Booth said he planned to pile out of the stadium right after the game and go back to his spot with the Force Fanatics tailgaters in the parking lot, uncork another ... something ... and party until the Gwinnett Gladiators minor-league hockey team started up against the Texas Wildcatters at 7:35 p.m.

Booth is unofficially known as King Buckethead, a leader of the noisemakers in the stadium and a founding member of the Force Fanatics, a tailgating fan club for the Georgia Force. He's also part of the pregame vibe at the Gwinnett Center, which he described as a bit more family-friendly than the $10 parking lots near Philips Arena.

"This is what we've been missing at Philips," the Milton sports enthusiast said. "I feel like it's more intimate here."

The Georgia Force moved back to Gwinnett this year from Philips Arena. While Philips holds about 7,000 more people, it's a tougher venue to fill.
Research showed that the team had a huge number of fans in and around Gwinnett County, said Reggie Roberts, vice president of football communications for the Force and the Atlanta Falcons.
With free parking, tailgating culture has more potential to take root in Gwinnett, he said. "The dynamics are totally different," he said.
For Tommy Huhn of Lawrenceville, a Force game is an easy choice over a 45-minute schlep to Atlanta. His four season tickets for Force games cost $1,200. Two season tickets for the Falcons at the Georgia Dome cost $1,800. And unlike the Falcons last year, the Force is winning games — 14-2 last year, 8-0 at home, on the way to a division championship.
Huhn brought 10 people to the Force game Saturday.
"I went to two [Falcons] games last year," he said while the fajitas cooked on the barbecue. One was to see Peyton Manning and the Colts play, he said. "There's no energy in the Dome anymore."
He's hoping to see some of that energy build closer to home, he said. And with minor-league baseball on the way, "I'm never leaving Gwinnett again," Huhn said.
"Until the Falcons get better."

My lemonade led the article :) .................We had Wee Willie lubricated with it, talking to the reporter. <,;

All bow to King Buckethead! Hail to the King! Long live the King!

hail to Chrity's breakfast burritos

The shorter one is the sweetie, I don't know about that tall one.... beyhg456y

:bsc:

You had Wee Willie in your presence? :mellow:

I think you have found a groupie........... B)













bhjk,tt

Thats good stuff right there!

You guys are too funny! That's funny stuff right thar!

I want to say thank you for the breakfast burritos and the bloody marys they were great I am looking forward to tailgating on the 15th.Go Force.It was a great time tailgating it was alot better then Phillips.