OAK CREEK, Wis. — Baseball is back and with it an Oak Creek Lions Club tradition, their annual tailgate part. Although, it looked a little different this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Before hitting the doors to the Lions Club Tailgate, people attending had to first pass through a temperature check, and fans were given a mask if they didn’t bring one.
On top of taking extra safety precautions before entering, the Sunshine Cleaning Company volunteered to continually disinfect the high touch areas.
“We want everybody to be safe,” said Richard Adkins of Sunshine Cleaning Company.
But inside the tailgate, the traditional stayed somewhat normal. Burger, brats, and hot dogs were sizzling on the grill out back ready to feed the crowd.
“Never missed an opening day,” said Jay Nowak, Oak Creek Lions Club member.
The event supports the various charities the Lions give money to including multiple scholarships for MATC and paying for service dogs for people who are visually impaired. This year the non-profit is not sure if they will have to scale back what they give.
“We are hoping for a big crowd. It is one of our biggest fundraisers of the year and currently as is a lot of non-profits we are down in donations. We are hoping this event comes off as a big success,” said Terry Tveita, event organizer.
And for some, the event was a success in allowing them a fun and somewhat normal way to cheer on the Brewers, even in the middle of a pandemic.
“Stadiums are empty but I still want to cheer for them. And just maybe they will bring home a pennant,” said Ron Spear, attendee.
