Pre-Game in Lincoln
As the streets line with red and parking spots fill up all across town the bars and restaurants begin to reach capacity and a constant buzz fills the air. The feeling is one of a kind and can be felt on Husker game day all across downtown Lincoln. As kick off approaches the noise gets continuously louder and the crowds of people grow larger and larger. All the buzz and hype peaks during the duration of the game. From the tunnel walk to the last snap, thousands of members of the Husker Nation gather round town both in and out of the stadium to support their Big Red.
The anticipation for this event is remarkable. People begin to spill into downtown for game day as early as 7 in the morning and the streets continue to fill until the last car heads home for the night. As I walked the streets of downtown Lincoln this weekend on my way to the Husker game, after parking 10 blocks down, I could feel a sense of community and unity in the air. Chants began to break out and everyone would give high fives to any other person in red. Laughter was in the air and all the worries of everyone’s every day lives had vanished for the time. The bars filled up, the restaurants were packed, the parking was scarce, and the seats of Memorial Stadium began to turn red. Snacks and special treats were being made in homes around town and drinks were bought in preparation for the big game.
The community came together as a whole and transformed into this Husker Nation that you hear so much about. It was an amazing experience to have so many people brought together without a worry in the world to watch an American tradition of football. All the commotion and buzz built up until those gates opened up and the Nebraska football team came through the end of that tunnel into a massive, roaring, and chaotic crowd.
