This past weekend my sweet little home town of Bristol hosted an event that most of us had been anticipating for years. When it was announced that the Tennessee Vols would be playing Virginia Tech Hokies (rival teams for those who may not know) in the world's largest college football game at Bristol Motor Speedway we knew this game would be huge. We actually pre-ordered our tickets to the game three years in advance if that tells ya anything. There was a massive countdown clock placed in down town Bristol which happens to separate the state line of Tennessee from the state of Virginia right down the center on State Street. Every time we drove past the clock it seemed like the days were forever away as it started at 730 days. Whether you were a fan of either team or not if you lived anywhere near this big game (taking place in a Nascar stadium), chances were you were going. There were a lot of events leading up to this past weekend but the best of them took place just a couple days prior to Saturday. Thursday we headed to down town Bristol with all of our friends and family for the Battle on the State Line Kickoff and Pep Rally. We bar hopped, listened to some live music, and watched our famous Bristol sign be lit up in spirit colors honoring VT and UT colors. This was a pretty big deal since the sign has only changed colors one other time in 106 years.... It was announced a few weeks prior to the football game that there would be a tailgate concert the night before kickoff inside the speedway. When we found out Kenny Chesney was headlining the concert along with Old Dominion and the Band Perry we all jumped on the tickets. Kenny Chesney is a fan favorite in East Tennessee, he went to college here and a lot of his songs are about this area. He most definitely exceeded my expectations of an awesome concert. Tailgating before the concert After playing all of his best oldies and talking about his days going to college here and playing at the local bars, Kenny pulled Peyton Manning on the stage and made the crowd go wild. Kenny and Peyton both signed an acoustic guitar before picking out a little boy in the crowd wearing a Tennessee 98' jersey and pulling him on the stage to give him the autographed guitar. I may be biased but this might have been the best ending to a concert ever. On Saturday we woke up bright and early ready to get the day started. We watched a little bit of College Game Day taking place in front of the speedway before heading to our tailgate spot to begin the festivities. Dad always throws a tailgate in Knoxville before the game but since this was the biggest college football game ever, being held in our home town, we had to go all out. We had live music, all of our closest friends and family, and too much fun tailgating before the 8:00 kickoff. Once we went into the stadium it was crazy to see a packed house. I've been to a lot of Nascar races growing up here but I've never seen the stadium that filled. Before kickoff Jennifer Nettles sang the National Anthem and the fans were given flip cards in their seats to portray an American Flag throughout the crowd. Since this was the anniversary weekend of the tragic 9/11 seeing how much Patriotic Pride filled the stands gave me chills. The game and atmosphere was absolutely amazing. I am so proud of my little home town for pulling something this big off. Tennessee beat Virginia Tech 45-25 and set off an attendance/world record for having 156,990 people attend the largest college football game ever to happen. Hearing Rocky Top roar through the stadium as the fans sang along was worth it itself. This weekend had been in the making for years and was most definitely worth the wait. I'm sad the weekend is officially over but so thankful to have been a part of this. A weekend to remember.... September 10, 2016
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