{"id":737207,"date":"2026-06-15T00:22:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T00:22:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/737207\/"},"modified":"2026-06-15T00:22:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T00:22:11","slug":"we-should-have-done-this-sooner-riders-fans-proclaim-first-official-tailgate-a-huge-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/737207\/","title":{"rendered":"‘We should have done this sooner’: Riders fans proclaim first official tailgate a huge success"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Text<\/p>\n

Listen to this article<\/p>\n

Estimated 3 minutes<\/p>\n

The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.<\/p>\n

Lynn Kaglea has been a Rider fan her whole life.<\/p>\n

She even got a green wedding ring and watched a pre-season game during her wedding three weeks ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen they say you bleed green, it’s me,\u201d Kaglea said.<\/p>\n

Now she and other Rider season ticket holders can legally tailgate outside of Mosaic Stadium before home games.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is awesome. We should have done this sooner. This is an amazing atmosphere and it’s so much fun,\u201d Kaglea said.<\/p>\n

Kaglea and hundreds of other Rider season ticket holders got to enjoy the Coors Light Tailgate area at the Rider’s home opener on June 13.<\/p>\n

The Riders worked with the provincial government and the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority last winter to create a designated tailgate area outside Mosaic Stadium where fans can bring their own food and drinks, and even cook in their designated parking spots.<\/p>\n

\"TwoFrom left: Provincial cabinet minister Warren Kaeding, mascot Gainer the Gopher, and Roughriders president and CEO Craig Reynolds cut the ribbon to officially open the Coors Light Tailgate area. (Daniel Birru\/CBC)<\/p>\n

Only season ticket holders could apply for permits to the Coors Light Tailgate area.<\/p>\n

Applicants were entered into a lottery, and the 200 selected had the opportunity to buy season passes for $500 or single game passes for $50. The permits give people access to two adjacent parking spots, one for their car, the other to set up chairs, tables and propane grills.<\/p>\n

Gord Strom, a Rider season ticket holder for 50 years, says the permits were worth the cost.<\/p>\n

\u201cI worked it out with a friend because I live in Saskatoon, he lives here, so it’s a bit much. But if you work it with other people, share, it’s not that much,\u201d Strom said.<\/p>\n

The Riders are one of the last teams in the CFL to allow legal tailgating before their games. Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Montreal and Hamilton all have tailgate options.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy didn’t we do this decades ago, right? This is the biggest party in town. Riders are the biggest game in town,\u201d said James Fuchs.<\/p>\n

\"AJames Fuchs and Lynn Kuglea brought hot dogs, hamburgers, and a pot of chili to enjoy with their friends before the Rider’s home opener on Saturday. (Laura Gillis\/CBC)<\/p>\n

Fuchs, a life-long Rider fan from White City, brought hot dogs, hamburgers, and a pot of chili to enjoy before the game.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe love the Riders,” he said. “The Riders are the best game in town, and the championship last year was absolutely phenomenal. We loved it,\u201d Fuchs said.<\/p>\n

Riders fans Greg Mrazek and his wife, Joan, a couple from Dysart, Sask., have worn their Rider gear to 60 countries, including Australia, Egypt, India and China.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"AGreg and Joan Mrazek have been travelling across the world with their Rider gear for 50 years. (Laura Gillis\/CBC)<\/p>\n

\u201cLook at this, this is absolutely fantastic,\u201d Greg said, surveying the gathering of fans in the parking lot. \u201cThis is an event. It’s not a game. It’s an event.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Listen to this article Estimated 3 minutes The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":737208,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[49,48,521,522,520,82],"class_list":["post-737207","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cfl","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-canadian-football-league","tag-canadianfootballleague","tag-cfl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/737207","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=737207"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/737207\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/737208"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=737207"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=737207"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=737207"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}