If football is king, tailgating is its royal feast.

It’s an experience — where football fans turn empty parking lots into spirited pre- and post-game parties — that rejects no one. Promises of belly-satisfying food.

“I just like the atmosphere of game day and the crowds,” said Chuck Schuster, head of the Canton Browns Backers’ fan club, and an avid tailgater.

But you don’t have to be a football-frenzy guy to enjoy the moment. Ladies like it, too.

Take Mary Gaston and Glenda Zink. Both are tailgating aficionados.

Gaston and her husband, Tom, are members of “Tiger Tailers” — a group of friends who tailgate at all Massillon Tigers’ football games — home or away.

“It’s how we keep in touch with each other,” she said, “because we all live busy lives, and everybody goes to the football game on Friday or Saturday.”

For Zink and her hubby, Larry, tailgating is a weekly reunion with their grown children. The family, along with friends, hits the parking lots for pre-game food, beverages and cornhole toss.

Zink described tailgating as a good, clean and healthy experience. “It’s something I look forward to,” said Glenda Zink.

MARY GASTON
Lives in:
Massillon
Occupation:
Medical assistant
Family:
Husband, Tom; sons,
Tommy and Michael
Favorite sports team:
Massillon Tigers


GASTON’S FIVE
TAILGATING MUSTS
Friends
Food/beverages
Music
Cornhole toss
Bathrooms

Gaston’s Buffalo Chicken Dip

THE INGREDIENTS
2 cups cooked shredded chicken
2 packages (8 ounces each) of cream cheese, softened
1 cup ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing   
3/4 cup of Red Hot sauce
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 tbsp. butter
2 tsp. chopped garlic

THE INSTRUCTIONS
Saute garlic in butter over medium-low heat. Add chicken and Red Hot sauce. Heat thoroughly. Add cream cheese, dressing and a cup of cheddar cheese. Heat until it’s melted. Pour mixture into warm crock pot and sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Serve with celery sticks or tortilla chips.
 

Glenda Zink
Lives in:
Jackson Township
Occupation:
Interim dean of business technologies at Stark State
Family:
Husband, Larry; sons, Glen, Brandon and Justin; daughters, Genell, Lauren and Hallie
Favorite sports team:
Ohio State and
Cleveland Browns

ZINK’s FIVE MUSTS
Hot dogs
Beer
A football
Cornhole toss
Brownies or cookies

Zink’s perogie lasagna

12 lasagna noodles
5 lbs. potatoes, cooked
5 large sweet onions
Milk (to mash the potatoes with)
1 cup sour cream
1 stick of butter
1.5 tbsp. sugar
Olive oil
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Cayenne pepper

THE INSTRUCTIONS
Cook, drain and pat dry the lasagna noodles. Mash potatoes with sour cream, milk and half a stick of butter. Caramelize onions in oil and sugar until golden brown. Melt remaining butter in 9-by-13 pan. Add four lasagna noodles.  Top with half of the potatoes, half of the onions and one and a half cups of shredded cheese. Repeat another layer of noodles, potatoes, onions and cheese. Top with last four lasagna noodles. Sprinkle with one cup of shredded cheese and cayenne pepper to taste. Serve with grilled brats.

CHUCK SCHUSTER
Lives in:
Meyers Lake
Occupation:
Stark County Family Court assessment
specialist
Family:
Daughter, Amy, and son, Jonathan
Favorite sports team: Cleveland Browns

SCHUSTER’S FIVE MUSTS
A grill
A good cook
Beverages
Bathrooms
A large group to share the experience with — the more the merrier

Schuster’s Loaded Baked Potato Salad

THE INGREDIENTS
4 potatoes
Shallots, chopped
Garlic, 2 cloves, minced
1/2 lb. bacon
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons mustard
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

THE INSTRUCTIONS
Boil potatoes until they are fork tender. Drain, cool and chop potatoes into bite-size pieces. Meanwhile, cook bacon, adding the shallots and garlic near the end of the cooking process. Drain off grease, reserving bits of shallot and garlic with the bacon. Cool bacon, then chop. Mix mayo, mustard, sour cream and cheddar cheese. Mix in bacon. Fold in potatoes. Serve cold. Can be doubled and tripled; adjust to taste.