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Watch now: Gameday Saturday in Lincoln anything but typical | Local



“I just wanted to tailgate one time this year. I wasn’t going to miss this today,” said Loran Tejral, an auto parts dealer in Grand Island who has been tailgating outside Melichar’s — a place well known for its billboard, which predicts the weekly score (always a Nebraska win, because “I like my windows,” Melichar says.) — since 2006.

But while there was excitement that accompanies any gameday, the mood was also melancholy as the trio of Tejral, Melichar and Ed Sabata sipped their drinks.

They told stories of tailgates past: The drunken debauchery, the memorable games and the folks who come from all over — strangers who suddenly become lifelong friends — for a few hours about seven times a year.


The scene inside: ‘Taking in the weirdness’ as cardboard cutouts and a few family members watch NU’s home opener

“This is my tailgate family and I miss them,” Sabata said.

Maybe this is the reality of 2020. While football has trudged forward, the buildup to kickoff is not a necessity this year.

There is no pregame. No pregame traffic to wade through. No pregame mixers with friends. No pregame meal to eat — did anyone else miss the tantalizing smells of searing meats wafting through downtown on Saturday? — before making your way to inside the stadium.

There’s no stadium to get to. That’s off limits. Really, the game’s high-def existence is the only thing, so there’s no need to arrive early. No need to arrive at all.



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