Friday Night Football | Chickens in the Road

Sep
4

If I did that, I would fall over.

And then my leg would break off.

Last night was the first football game of the season, and it was a home game. Home games mean concession stand duty for a couple of games. I signed up for the first two home games because if I sign up for later in the season, I will forget. I have a love/hate relationship with concession stand duty. I like it because it sharpens my math skills. (Really! You have to do addition and subtraction. REALLY FAST. Plus memorize the price list in 5 seconds.) I also usually get to meet people who read my blog or my newspaper columns. I am recognized more often at the high school concession stand than any other place. It’s always fun to meet people who read my writing. One time last year a lady told me she changed lines at the concession stand even though my line was longer just so she could meet me.

What I really don’t like to do at the concession stand is handle the food. I can’t take it. Two hot dogs! One with chili and cheese, one with onions! Nachos with cheese! Hamburger, no mustard! Three hot dogs, one with chili and cheese, one with ketchup and onions, one with nothing! My brain explodes. I would never make it as a waitress. I can’t remember orders. Especially when two or three people are yelling them at once. That’s another reason I like to be the person taking the orders (and yelling the orders) and counting the change.

Weston is a senior this year, so this is my fourth year at the high school concession stand. The football parents are doing the visitor side concession stand this year. (The band parents are doing the home team side.) This is a plus.

Visitor concession stand (::crickets chirping::):

Home team concession (::melee::):

Inside the visitor concession stand. (Look! There’s even a dad working!)

The worst part about working the concession stand is missing half the game.

Not that I care about the game or know what’s going on or even understand it. I just like to see my baby. I went in search of him after halftime when I was released from my concession stand indentured service. Unfortunately, I couldn’t remember what number he was. I gazed upon the sea of butts trying to find one that looked like my baby’s butt.

Morgan, who is LOVING high school, came to my rescue. (Aside: Morgan is the most social and engaging creature on the planet. High school was MADE FOR HER. It will be the most awesome experience of her life. The End.)

She totally knew which butt was Weston’s.

Because she bought a program and knew his number. 57.

It’s a Murphy’s Law that whatever half you are assigned to the concession stand, that will be the half when your child plays the most.

Here’s Weston’s cutie patootie girlfriend in her band uniform (with her hair pulled back).

And here’s my cousin’s son, Madison, with his cutie patootie girlfriend in the stands. (Madison graduated high school last year and is a freshman this year at West Virginia University–but he skedaddles home every weekend to see his sweetie, who is still in high school and is one of Weston’s girlfriend’s best friends. Weston and Madison are also close friends. The whole bunch of them are good friends and great kids.)

Roane County High School (my baby!) crushed Tyler Consolidated 48-14.

And that’s Friday night in every town, big and small, across America.

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12 Responses
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9-4
2:49
am

Looks like a good time was had by all. What a good Mommy you are to volunteer in the concession stand! Glad your team won!!

Tina

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9-4
2:55
am

I loved high school and football games! I loved hawking drinks in front of the stands, so I could show off. Of course, that was 50 gazillion years ago…..

Morgan definitely looks like she’s in her element.

Nancy in Iowa

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9-4
6:22
am

Way to go RCHS!! So glad Morgan is adjusting to high school so well!

Oh how I miss the high school scene, especially Friday night football…though from the U.P., most of ours were in snow storms!

CindyP

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9-4
11:21
am

Chuckle, snort….(::crickets chirping::)
I don’t know why but I got the biggest laugh over this one word…I could actually “hear” those crickets.

princessvanessa

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9-4
12:14
pm

I agree with you. So much better to take your part early on, do it, then forget about it and relax.

Barbee'

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9-4
12:16
pm

I have to find out from your site that my son went to the game last night! Aaarrgghh! Teenage boys never communicate with their mothers! I am glad to see him and the girlfriend there, having a good time.

I’ll come to a game soon!

Cousin Sheryl

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9-4
12:43
pm

wow, I’m really impressed with how many bleachers there are and how nice the concession stands are. My alma mater doesn’t have near that many bleachers and people have to stand for most of the game. There are only about 7 rows too. Plus our concession stand is for both home and visitors and it’s more like a little shanty. My hometown is only 1800 people though, but it’s one of the bigger communities around there. Yours looks more like a stadium! What a nice place.

Miss Becky

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9-4
1:41
pm

Note to self: Don’t read and drink! Caugh, caugh, sputter, sputter.

Darlene in Ks

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9-4
6:11
pm

I know what you mean about concession stand duty. My baby is a senior this year too, but plays baseball. It’s taken me a few years to figure out the ins and outs of concession stand duty, but I think I’ve got it down. I sign up for the early spring ball games. Since spring ball in Ohio is usually played in 40 degree weather with a stiff breeze, I’m nice and toasty working in the building! Plus, the crowd is usually pretty small so I can calculate without all of the stress. Good luck this football season!

Cindy

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9-4
9:01
pm

I used to love watching high school football. One thing I didn’t see in your concession stand was those candied apples with the gooey red cinnamon coating, each resting on a little fluted paper disk. Mmm, I haven’t seen one of those in years.

whaledancer

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9-6
7:47
am

Even though Weston is a senior, and your concession stand duty is over…I thought I’d share how our school does things. We have a booster club that stocks the concessions, sells apparel, does fundraisers, etc. They get the concession stands all set up and then pay a group (4H, PTO, Scouts, etc) to run the concession stand for the entire night. No football parent has to miss a game, the groups in need earn some money and all is good on Friday nights!

WatkinsGal

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9-19
8:23
am

It looks like you guys have a great school system. Nice field, stands etc….

Angela P

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