As football fans living in Pennsylvania, where the weather on game day can range from a tad bit chilly to can’t-feel-my-toes-frigid, we know firsthand that a little frost on the windshield won’t have you cancelling game plans! Most fans will weather even the coldest days with blankets and gloves in tow while wearing more layers than a cake! But for as open as we are to embracing what Mother Nature throws our way, it is imperative that the game we attend have a concession stand fully stocked with the many food groups of football, namely: Beer Nuts, Cheese Popcorn, Planters Heat Peanuts, Sports Lollipops and Freestone Pickles. There are a few other snacks and sweets you should have as well, but I want to be sure my favorites are covered before we move on. 😉

So what are the consequences of a poorly-stocked concession stand? What is the worst that can happen if you run out of popcorn or never even order Slim Jims? YOU DON’T EVEN WANT TO KNOW. It may start with an empty seat in the stands here and there that used to be filled, but with each passing week less and less people, and more and more empty seats in the stands, will become the norm. In time, the stands themselves will fall apart from depression, for all their joy lives in the excitement of the fans!

And then, of course, there are the football players, coaches and mascots. Have you ever seen a mascot shuffle aimlessly about the football field as though his whole purpose in life has been ripped away? Have you ever seen a player score a game-winning touchdown only to look out into the empty bleachers and realize it went largely unseen? No…you wouldn’t see that. Because you wouldn’t be there to see it, and no one else would either! And why? For what? Because someone forgot to place an order, followed by forgetting to place another order, and before anyone knew what happened the concession stand was full of nothing but forgotten dreams and absence of hope.

The entirety of ‘town spirit’ may be depending on your well-stocked concession stand. OK, we may be exaggerating just a little! But do you want to risk finding out for sure when prevention is just a few clicks away?! We can promise that the temperature climbing into the single digits won’t keep us away from a football game. We can even promise that we’ll pack extra hand warmers in case the game goes long. But by golly, we can’t promise we won’t be forced to venture elsewhere in pursuit of Planters Peanuts if they aren’t available. And that’s just the football-lovin’ truth!