Friends, and fellow Caniacs, the Stadium Series Weekend was an absolute blast thus far! From fandom to fireworks, and drone shows to dominating the Capitals, this weekend has been all about celebrating a Bunch of Jerks that are Caniacs.
Festivities started Friday with the Fan Fest in Downtown Raleigh. Despite some iffy weather and a pretty rough set of rain that came through about 4:15, hundreds of thousands of Caniacs flocked to Fayetteville St. to celebrate Hurricanedom and the Stadium Series Game.
The junior Caniac especially loved Mega Colossus which was a surprise. And the great Stormy/ Skates was firmly and resoundingly decided. Stormy by a mile BUT Wool E. Bull of the Durham Bulls got a hug. Dash from the Carolina Thunderbirds also got a fist bump. However Stormy got a hug, fist bump, and pictures….so it is pretty clear who won this great debate.
We didn’t wait in line to see Lord Stanley’s Cup, but did make a special jaunt to see Svechnichov on the side of the PNC building which is still blowing my mind. The Zamboni (officially branded) was also a huge hit, as was the BAB (big a** boat), and even the free ride on the Farris Wheel. Plenty of The Official Red Punch Of The Carolina Hurricanes was consumed and we grabbed more than a few “Delta Cookies” from one of the booths for snakage.
Friday was an absolutely perfect way to kick of Stadium Series Weekend, but things kicked into high gear Saturday morning. Fans started making their way onto the PNC grounds as early as 8:30 am Saturday morning, and there was a line down Westcase Ave that went from the gates all the way to Blue Ridge Rd. Caniacs started lining up at 9:45 am, and had already started tailgating by the time I got on the scene at Noon.
Folks have been lined up since 9:45!
— Chris Baker (@OutOnABranch) February 18, 2023
This line stretches from the gates to Blue Ridge @CardiacCane pic.twitter.com/FRttG3LLNQ
The weather was phenomenal for tailgating. Caniacs nor Caps fans could have asked for a better day to celebrate. The couple of Capitals fans I walked in with were so glad the weather held off and hated missing the Fan Fest downtown. Early as we were, and as empty as the grounds might have been, they were awestruck by the set up.
Right off the bat, I got an high five and awesome sticker from The Florida Caniac who was repping his custom T-shirt and hat! I also got to thank sport media legend Mike Solarte for taking one of my questions on the Twitters. If you have not listened to his podcast on The Storm Cellar Podcast, you so stop what you are doing and do so. He had a great following here in the sports media community of Raleigh, especially when the Carolina Hurricanes were a new time. You might have seen him in his current role with Spectrum 1 covering the game.
Then the highlight of the day….let’s make that TWO highlights of the tailgating portion of the day. In our meanderings at Fan Fest, I got to meet, and chat with Ray (aka @JudgeWapner10) of The Storm Cellar Podcast. Getting to see him in person was so cool, having only listened to the podcast, and done an episode.
BUT. The real highlight was getting to hang out with Ray and Brad (aka @TheStormCellar97) Saturday. Swapping stories over Bojo’s and Cat 5s could not have been more fun. Ray’s reaction to Boberry Biscuits was pretty fun to see. Both Ray and Brad were the most welcoming and friendly guys, and you get that spirit on their show.
If that was not enough, in the spirit of apology, reconciliation, and harmony amongst fellow Caniacs, I ambled over to The SurgeCast’s tend to share a beverage of the adult variety with Bailey (aka @BaileyCurtis) Kat (aka @CaniacChic), and Zach (aka @OneTrueZach). Small gesture it may have been, it was still really fun to meet up with them, and toast Caniacness.
If you have not, go give their podcast a listen.
All in all, I am not sure how far I walked yesterday but given how slow I am moving today, it was a pretty “fer piece” as they say in my native lands. Wondering around, seeing the sites, talking with fellow Caniacs was super cool. The icing on my tailgating experience was grabbing a high five from “the TikTok lady” herself Nancia (aka @computerandcoin).
Nancia, let me again say I am so sorry for blanking on your name or even your Twitter handle. I got so excited that I recognized you, that my mind wouldn’t work. Thanks for the high five and I’m glad you made it to the game! Hope to see your video of the Stadium Series Weekend soon!
Since I did not have tickets, I decide watch the whole thing from the friendly confines of my favorite watering hole down the street from my house. Thankfully the place was full of Caniacs in a similar sitch. Several of us got up a hardy conversation about the Canes and how the team has evolved of the years. One of the ladies moved to Raleigh right before the team did, and has been a fan from day one. We talked jerseys, (I was in the minority on the Caps jersey. I am on the fence, but everyone else liked them), who should we pick up (Again-minority status in saying we can make it with who we have) and we all agreed Jarvis should stay in Raleigh until he is old, gray, and has grandchildren playing for the Canes.
Oh….and the Hurricanes won. That was pretty awesome.
Maybe the best way to wrap up a summary of the Stadium Series Weekend (thus far) is to say…. LET’S GO CANES!