Tennessee Volunteers Fans Tailgating For a Cause

by Sam Hotchkiss
(Tennessee)

Tennessee Vols Tailgate -- On the Trucks!

We started tailgating in the fall of 2001 (the home opener vs. Syracuse on August 31).

We (a bunch of rabid Tennessee Vols fans) rendezvous at the same spot every home football Saturday since then at the corner of Volunteer BLVD & Fraternity Park Drive. We also try and get together in a different city around Tennessee and Georgia (central location) to watch some of the big away games a couple times a year.

This year we have done the opener in Dayton, TN and we're doing the Tenn @ Florida game here in Nashville this weekend.

We have 17 full-time members, who pay dues. About 12 of us are consistent - the other 5 live in other states. The tailgate numbers increases with wives, girlfriends, parents, friends, etc.

Recent upgrades to the tailgate over the past few years have been 1) generator 2) big orange tent 3) flat panel tv w/direct tv 4) a trailer to carry all of the tailgating equipment, which is also wired for sound so that we can play either the tv or music through.

We also hold an annual BBQ cookout for anyone that wants to come by ($10 plate) and all proceeds benefit the Cystic Fibrosis foundation.

We established "OTT For Avery" in honor of Avery Flatford, daughter of one of our members, Chuck Flatford, who was diagnosed with the disease shortly after her birth in 2003. This year's "OTT For Avery" event is scheduled for the South Carolina game, on October 27.

Simply put, our organization "On the Trucks" is about tailgating with a Passion and tailgating with a Purpose.

For more information (and lots of pictures), check out our website at On The Trucks.com.