Thousands of fans showed up for tailgating festivities, despite gray skies and rain, to show their support for blue and gray. The spirit of Panther pride filled the charcoal scented air as students, alumni and faculty packed into the area Saturday morning.

“It was the best tailgating ever, I ruined my clothes in a mud- wrestling match and still had a blast,” Marc Kifarkis a junior accounting major, said.

The mud wrestling turned out to be a main attraction as crowds gathered around to cheer the handful that were brave enough to venture into the mud.

“Mud wrestling was crazy. I slipped and took Marc down with me, that’s when things got messy,” Danny Battista a junior marketing major, said.

The alumni band, “The Leftovers,” did not play because of the rain, Jessica Bishop, Homecoming Kick-off chair, said.

Although rain kept the total number of tailgaters lower than expected, the crowd that did turn out proved that nothing could rain on the Panther’s parade.

“Anyone who didn’t go missed out on an awesome time,” said Justin Fee, a freshman education major.

Bishop said, “Despite the rain, people still came out and had a good time.”

Footballs and frisbees were part of the tailgating festivities. Many people played catch and caught up on old times as many alumni came down to support Eastern.

Students took the Woodstock-like atmosphere to its limits, turning a corner of the tailgating area into a mud-wrestling melee.

Cold beverages and hot grills kept those in attendance content as wind and rain drenched O’Brien stadium.

Bob Beavers, a Charleston resident, served free brats, burgers, chips and pop to hungry tailgaters. Bishop said that the University Board sponsored the food, and that Beavers serves it every year.

Blue and gray was the color of choice for sweatshirts and jackets, and many trucks and cars displayed American flags, as Panther pride began to capture the masses.

Many alumni were delighted with the current improvements around the campus.

Jeremy Otahal, of the class of 1999, said, “It just goes to show that things are moving in the right direction here at Eastern.”

Tailgating wrapped up at 1:30 p.m., and the crowd filtered into O’Brien stadium to watch a Panther homecoming victory.

Muddy faces and bright smiles were the theme of the day. Tailgating showed just “How Sweet it is at EIU.”