The seats inside Fioretti Football Field weren’t nearly as full Sunday as they have been for previous Super Bowl Tailgate Parties.
The main reason was that when the New England Patriots aren’t playing in the big game, local interest dwindles.
However, the Rev. Peter J. Gower – who three years ago initiated the Our Lady of Grace Super Bowl Tailgate Party – best summed up Sunday’s third annual celebration.
“Although our beloved Patriots aren’t playing today, the tailgate party and spending the day with my parishioners and friends is so important,” he said. “Gathering in fellowship at any time and in any place is a really good thing; it’s one of my favorite things.”
For some people, it didn’t matter who was kicking off. OLG’s Super Bowl bash has been a tradition for many proud parishioners like Joe Grasso, who has long supported the Roman Catholic parish in Johnston in many different ways.
“Forget about the Patriots,” Grasso said. “It’s this guy [Gower], who knows how to draw a crowd. And, as you can see, he’s got a super special supporting cast.”
Grasso was one of the first people to arrive when the doors opened at 5 p.m., and some stayed until the Kansas City Chiefs put their stamp on a 31-20 victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
During that time, parishioners enjoyed OLG’s usual sports smorgasbord that Sunday included a menu consisting of salad, chicken tenders, Italian bread, pizza with various toppings and more.
OLG’s all-volunteer super staff also made and served homemade chocolate chip cookies. The tailgate also featured 13 raffle prizes, as well as another 10 items in the door prize drawing.
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