ASHWAUBENON, WI (WTAQ) — A little rain and humidity couldn’t stop Packers fans from returning in force to Lambeau Field.
For the first time since January of 2020, familiar sounds and smells wafted through the stadium district around Lambeau Field.
The crack of a beer. The sizzle of a brat.
And the ubiquitous chant:
“Go Pack Go!”
From Lambeau Field to Ashland Avenue to I-41–nearly every parking lot in Ashwaubenon was full of tailgaters Monday. They were celebrating a full-capacity Packers home game–something that hasn’t been seen since the pandemic-striken 2020 season left Lambeau largely empty throughout the season.
Scott Schwartz was delighted to be back. His was the first tailgate set up in Lambeau’s Lot 1.
“It’s a wonderful thing, Schwartz told WTAQ. “We’ve got a lot of people out here from across the United States today that I haven’t seen in a year because there was no tailgating.”
Schwartz has been doing this a while–around 30 years or so–but for some, it’s their first time at Lambeau. Derek Richdale has been a Packers fan his whole life, but Juliet Richdale, and their five friends, haven’t been. They’re from San Diego, California, and have adopted the Packers as their home team after the Chargers left them.
“This is our Mecca, coming out to Lambeau Field. This is a bucket list item,” said Derek.
“I feel like I’m at Disneyland right now!” said Juliet. “I just want to say ‘Go, Pack, Go’ to everyone!”
Jeff Martinez is a Packers fan from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
“This is my favorite place in the world to be,” Martinez said. “Some people want to be on the beach, I want to be at Lambeau, watching the Packers.”
Martinez has been coming to every single Packers home opener for the eight years–with last year being the sole exception. That was a big disappointment.
“I was furious,” he said. “They didn’t let anybody in, so we had to watch a TV. It’s just not the same without a brat and a light beer from, uh, Miller. The official beer of the Packers.”
Martinez laughed.
We spoke to Martinez underneath the Resch Expo overhang–it was raining just before 4:00 pm. That rain, combined with the sunlight and heat that followed, resulted in decisively swampy and muggy conditions in the Lambeau Field lot.
Yet, the Packers faithful carried on, unhindered.
It was good news for Brad Toll, the CEO of Discover Green Bay.
“Taking a year off from this was tough,” he told WTAQ. “We literally would walk out for a Monday night game, and there was no one here [on Armed Forces Drive]. It was like any other Monday.”
It was even better news for area hotels, restaurants, and bars. Toll says home games have a huge economic impact.
“It’s typically about $15 million in economic impact, but with Monday Night Football, you think about all the people that are going to be watching this, they’re all going to be watching us,” said Toll. “They’re all going to be seeing Green Bay.”
Toll says that the Monday Night Football showcase acts as a commercial for Lambeau and the Green Bay area itself, bringing even more Packers fans to Lambeau in the years to come.
