"The Earth’s shadow slowly eclipsed the moon above two dozen arguably intelligent people milling about a jammed Charlottesville High School parking lot, eating and listening to car radios, their breath made visible by the same early winter chill that made them shiver.

This was neither New World Wiccan ritual nor the rites of post-modern, neo-classical Paganism worshiping the trans-sexual Man-in-the-Moon/Lunar Goddess. If anything, the Saturday night gathering had its origins in the peculiar pastime of Minnesotans who once gathered to cook and drink before, during and after Minnesota Vikings football games.

Mmm, bratwurst …

Dressed in their best Sunday snowmobile suits and snorkel parkas, those Gophers grilled up breakfasts of eggs, flapjacks and bacon; lunches of bratwurst-in-beer or tuna noodle hot dish; steaks, fajitas or burritos for dinner.

Some wandered about with plate and fork to sample neighbor’s fare--Minnesotans always cook a little extra for unexpected guests--bringing along treats of their own for trade.

Missing the game was no big deal. Even if the season went well, the team would break your heart in post-season play, so having a good meal under your belt made you feel like a winner no matter the final score.

There was more than mere food tying Saturday’s tailgaters to Minnesota. They listened to the live Minnesota Public Radio broadcast of “A Prairie Home Companion” in the Charlottesville Performing Arts Center, starring Garrison Keillor, one of the rarest of breeds, an English major who made good.

A surprise guest?

“I got hooked on NPR after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and his show is the best,” explained Tom Zito, the driving force behind the tailgating as he shivered in the dark with a cup of anti-freeze and a good cigar. “I love the show and I wanted to see it but $60 a ticket was too much. I was glad when it sold out so I could invite people to tailgate without looking like a cheapskate.”

Whatever the reason, the revelers responded. There was plenty of good, traditional American fare from fried chicken and barbecue sandwiches to apple pie, deviled eggs and a pot of baked beans, tasty and warming. It was the kind of food that reminds you hours later that you ate well.

There was even a rumor started by a University of Minnesota graduate who e-mailed Mr. Keillor’s folks in St. Paul to let him know of the party. Perhaps, if everyone hung around after the show, Mr. Keillor might visit.

In Minnesota, the rumor would have kept folks at the card table finishing the food and imbibing, telling taller tales with each hour, but this was not Minnesota. This was Virginia and it was cold and traffic was about to become insane, so when the show ended so did the party.

Virginians, it seems, have sense enough to get out of the cold." (Bryan McKenzie, Daily Progress, November 10, 2003)

Lutefisk! Lutefisk! Lefse! Lefse! Are we from Minnesota? Yah, you betcha! Get me at (434) 978-7271 or e-mail me at bmckenzie@dailyprogress.com.