College fans justify spending on tailgating, tix
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Like the coach of a team losing at halftime, college football fans banged around by high gas prices are changing their game plans.
They are cramming into sedans and leaving the RVs at home, speeding by hotels where they stayed in the past and, in some cases, making the hard decision to go to fewer games.
On a big weekend of college football, The Associated Press found fans from the parking lots of Happy Valley to Eugene, Ore., who said they are making concessions yet determined to indulge their passion.
As rain fell Saturday in central Pennsylvania before No. 17 Penn State beat Oregon State, sales executive Dan Wilhelm huddled under a tent next to his SUV after a three-hour drive from Pittsburgh.
His friend and fellow Penn State alum, Bick Remmey, had organized a party in the next parking spot. Burgers sizzled on the grill, while the table featured a commemorative Joe Paterno plate from the 1970s.
ap.com
9/8/08
Magnolia Tribune
