The ThunderCast planned an epic weekend to accompany the Marshall Football 2024 Spring Game, and we have to say it hit or maybe even surpassed our goals. Landscaping by Hillcrest made the weekend possible as they sponsored the events and made all the food and drinks free to Marshall fans. They have been doing the most amazing landscapes and outdoor features for forty years, and they used that same “expect excellence” mentality when it came to this weekend. When discussing the different events and what we had planned, they said, “Can you make it even bigger?” And so we did! Click on the photo from one of their jobs below and make sure to make them your only landscaping specialist.
The weekend started with us attending the football players and staff All Years Reunion in the stadium while tailgater extraordinaire Chris Lewis got smoke rolling on the parking lot:
Food Prep
Chris had cooked all night and we brought all our gear early Saturday before the lot opened so we could get the tailgate set up. The photos look amazing but still doesn’t do the food justice.
The Saturday Tailgate
When the food was ready, plates were made immediately. But there were steady lines and big rushes of people stopping by to get food all day. There was a big rush at half time and even after the game. We estimated 500 plates were made on Saturday. Just look at that food!
ThunderCast LIVE Powered by Ignite Link
Our live tailgate show is a staple of football pre-games. We talk food and tailgating and we discuss a preview of what we might see during the game. It can also be as unpredictable as you can imagine because you never know who will show up. Jed Horton of Ignite Link is the producer of ThunderCast LIVE Powered by Ignite Link, and he makes the entire thing possible and slickly produced. You will see him in a couple of shots below repositioning our multiple cameras when the shots called for it because we had surprise guests. Who did we have this time? Former Herd greats Orlando Washington and Ricky Hall, and none other than Athletic Director Christian Spears.
Sunday’s Softball/Baseball Tailgate
Sunday was a re-do of Saturday with the tailgate. Plates and utensils had to be replenished because so many people rolled through on Saturday. The tables of food were set up in the grass beyond the Softball outfield fence and we had plenty of people stopping by all day.
The Big Green Membership Drive
The Big Green was in the midst of their membership drive and wanted to add to the tailgates with a promotion. They gave away custom Marshall logo grill/oven mitts to anyone that signed up for the Big Green or increased their current donations. And one of those donors won a drawing for a 17″ Blackstone Tailgater Griddle.
All in all, this was one hell of an epic weekend, and we were thrilled to bring it to you.
