A Gator Parade

Posted Jan 8, 2007 by Chris Chmura

Updated Jan 8, 2007 at 05:37 PM

With a pep band’s brass and percussion sections rattling your insides, the feel here is less like restaurant and more like a tailgate party. From looking at the fans gathered here, you’d never know the game is actually 1,500 miles away. Nonetheless, they’ll be plugged in tonight. No fewer than five giant flat screen TVs are perched along the open air walls of the tent next to Gators Cafe & Saloon in Johns Pass. One the east end, I hear, sits an even larger monitor. This I have to see. Do the fans really want to see Urban Meyer that large? Yes, yes they do. We’ve just completed the parade, which consisted of one band, one bucket truck, and a couple convertibles. All are orange and blue. The procession lasted all of four minutes, but earned vibrant cheers from the adoring crowd. Amazingly, the spectators managed to succesfully complete a few Gator chops, despite a hand or two full of frosty adult beverages. That kind of talent can only come from years of experience.