MSU fans are excited to tailgate on campus once again

After COVID kept fans from tailgating on campus last year, the Junction was packed with fans ready to fire up their grills.

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – MSU’s football season kicks off today and that means it’s tailgating.

“Best thing ever! We are so ready for this,” MSU fan, Sheila Ellis said.

Football is back and MSU fans are ready to tailgate.

After tailgating was canceled last year due to COVID-19, folks like Leisa Estes fired up the grill.

“It was so sad last year that we did not get a chance to really have a tailgate and really have a tailgate and participate in Coach Leach’s first year. So this is the first time a lot of those kids are going to hear those cowbells and them really ringing in the stadium,” Estes said.

Sheila Ellis has come to the junction for years. She said her family created their own tailgate at home last year.

“We tailgated at home some of these people got together and we tailgated at their house. They set all the tents up in the backyard and had the TVs out. We did the same thing we do here. Except it wasn’t quite as fun,” Ellis said.

Founder of the Junction Party Tailgate, Angela Dallas said it’s great to see so many familiar faces back on the field.

“It’s a reunion because we missed not only our tent but all these tents around us are people we’ve also known for years,” Dallas said.

Tailgaters patiently waited for the special moment to come back onto campus.

To keep themselves healthy, MSU senior Caleb Messer said vaccinations can keep those large crowds safe.

“I’m vaccinated, so it’s a different stance for me it’s like, I’ve taken the steps I can to protect myself try to enjoy things as much as possible,” Messer said.

“We did everything we could to get back here on campus to tailgate here at state,” Ellis said.

While tailgating seems to be all about football, people said the most important part of tailgating is building relationships and memories.

“It’s about building relationships for sure. Families, friends, generations and generations, kids and grandkids come along,” Dallas said.

“It’s about sending time with my friends, It’s a really good way to bond with a lot of people that I’ve made life-long friends here at State. It’s also just, it’s a long-term tradition. It’s something that lasts across years, it’s something that everyone can have as a shared experience,” Messer said.

Tailgaters were pitching tents as early as 8 a.m.