BLUEFIELD — High school class reunions, picnics featuring outdoor grills with hamburgers and hotdogs, and fellowship were the ingredients that came together Friday as tailgaters claimed their spots and waited for the kickoff one of the nation’s premier high school games.
The football game between the Bluefield Beavers and the Graham G-Men attracts thousands of fans from across the region and from all over the nation. Tailgaters were putting up their tents, lighting grills and readying buffets early Friday afternoon. Corn hole games were set up and bounce houses were being inflated and team boosters were getting ready for the fans.
Justin Hawkins, program and special events coordinator for the City of Bluefield Parks and Recreation Department was on hand to help tailgaters find their sites and answer questions. The department had 33 available tailgating lots near Bowen Field and they sold out in a couple of weeks.
Many of the fans setting up their tailgating parties attended either Bluefield High School or Graham High School. The big high school football rivalry is seen as a good time for class reunions as well as family reunions.
Hayley Lester of Florida graduated from Bluefield High School in 2013. She traveled 12 hours from Florida with her sister, Whitney Lovell, and planned to drive back home today.
“We’re fans. Always a Beaver,” said their mother, Sandra Stone. Her son Joey Stone, who passed away in 2008 when he was almost 23 years old, played for the Beavers when he was in high school, she added.
His 11-year-old daughter, Aubrey Stone, was attending the Beaver-Graham game. Her family wanted her to see the big game, Sandra Stone said.
At another tailgater tent across the field, Jim Cox of Bluefield said he has been coming to the Beaver-Graham game for about 45 years. He went to high school in Mount Hope up in Fayette County, but he follows the Graham G-Men.
Cox said he holds both the G-Men and the Beavers in high regard.
“I think it’s going to be a close game,” he predicted. “When these two teams meet, anything can happen. I love my football. I really do.”
Many of the fans setting up their tailgating parties attended either Bluefield High School or Graham High School. The big high school football rivalry is seen as a good time for class reunions as well as family reunions.
Another tailgating spot was being set up by Kathy Glover, originally from upstate New York, but a Bluefield resident since 1979. Glover and her sister, Bobbi Buford of Houston, Texas, were getting a buffet set up.
“We’ve got barbecue pork butt and some barbecue wings, some ham and cheese sliders,” Glover said. “And cousins are coming and bringing some side dishes.”
Buford said that she and her husband, Edward, came all the way from Texas for the game. He once played football for the Beavers.
Students from both schools were setting up areas on both ends of the tailgating field with bounce houses and other attractions.
One tailgating site was offering free G-Men and Bluefield Beavers buttons as well as free water, snacks and Bible tracts. A large Bible was standing near the tent.
“I’m here for a little outreach,” said Mickey Vance for the Victory in Jesus Outreach in Bluefield, Va.
Tailgaters met, ate, shared stories and enjoyed each other’s company as the countdown to kickoff proceeded apace.
— Contact Greg Jordan at [email protected]
