The college football season began yesterday, and since we have season tickets again this year, we were in Fayetteville for the kickoff. There has been lots of anticipation about this year’s season after last year’s team only won 4 games. Maybe we will be better this year? We have a new coach and new coaching staff and lots of hype to go along with all that. But, we also probably have the hardest schedule of any team in the country, so we will be fortunate to win more than 4 games this year.

Yesterday, the game started a three o’clock. It was sunny and 97 degrees. Although, the game was a good one, which we won easily 34-14, we will remember this game for a long time because of the heat.

We pay extra for a good parking place adjacent to the stadium where we usually join hundreds of others in a tailgating ritual before each game. We have a folding table, a tent-like canopy, chairs, and lots and lots of food and drink. Just in case someone might unexpectedly join us while we are tailgating, the girls always prepare extra food. Southern girls learn early on that one of the greatest failures in life is to run out of food—it’s the fear that you will run out of food and have to kill yourself. We never run out of food. Yesterday, however, we didn’t tailgate. In fact, we saw very few people that did. There is not enough cold beer anywhere to make standing in a hot parking lot in 97 degree heat worth it. So, we arrived shortly before the game started, sat in the air-conditioned van for a few minutes and drank a co’ beer and braced ourselves to do what must be done. Whoo, Pig, Sooey!!

We have great seats (50 yard line, half way up), but our seats face west. So, as the game progressed, the sun adjusted its angle so as to hit us straight in the face. There is no shade in the stadium; being shoulder to shoulder with 70,000 other people did not help the situation. What little breeze that might have been blowing, didn’t reach us. Our dark red shirts absorbed all the sun’s heat. It was awful. Some people, including Ann, had a glazed-over look in their eyes, which spoke of fear and danger and desperation. I felt fine, but Ann said she really did feel like she might be sick.

Robert and Kay enjoying the game in 97-degree heat

Ann forgot to bring a cap and she used a fan to shade her face. She brought some fans like you used to get at church or at a funeral. But, she couldn’t fan herself at the same time she used the fan for shade. Thank goodness, Kay had a couple of battery powered fans that misted water. They used the little fans to cool their little faces. Ann didn’t appear to enjoy the game that much, because her mind was concentrating on not having a heat stroke. Sometime during the first half, the girls went to get some water and Ann bought a visor.

Ann and Kay survive the heat using the misting fans

At half time we left our seats and found an oasis of coolness. It was a stairwell under the bleachers, which felt like it was air conditioned. While Ann was there cooling off, she saw a woman come in for relief, but before she could get cool, she fainted and started having convulsions. As she fell, she broke her leg. I saw several people (mostly young women) who had apparently fainted from the heat. They were surrounded by people trying to help them. Whoo, Pig, Sooey!!

By the fourth quarter, it didn’t seem quite so hot. Ann emerged from under the bleachers and looked like she would live. By then, it was late afternoon and the sun was dialing back on the punishment. A few wispy clouds appeared and filtered out some of the heat. We had survived. About half way through the fourth quarter, the girls went to the van. Robert and I stayed for several more minutes. With the game well in hand, we left a little early in order to beat the traffic rush.

We made it home to Little Rock before 10:00. Whoo, Pig, Sooey!!