THE ALUMNIATI HAVE BEEN HERE FROM THE BEGINNING . THE BEGINNING OF OFFICIAL TAILGATING AT OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY , ANYWAY . AND UNLIKE THE OTHER RUMORED SOCIETY WITH A SIMILAR NAME , THE ALUMNIATI ISN ’ T SECRET AT ALL .
n fact , they ’ ve been holding a gathering in the same spot on the shaded lawn at the southwest corner of the Seretean Center for the Performing Arts every home game since they claimed the spot 10 years ago . “ We ’ re here from sunup through the last play of the football game ,” Alumniati organizer Ragan Parkerson said .
They ’ re pretty easy to find . They even have a banner with their own tongue-in-cheek mystical logo – a triangle filled with Pistol Pete ’ s eye and part of his mustache .
Parkerson says their spot is a great location for setting up . He loves the atmosphere and being across from Old Central . His favorite time of the day is when the OSU Marching Band comes out of the Seretean Center and tunes up .
Parkerson said over the years the gathering grew to the point where the group had to decide , “ Is this a personal tailgate or do we entertain everyone ?”
So the friends , many of whom have roots in the local Red Dirt Music scene , decided to go big .
They book live bands and offer their hospitality to anyone who would like to hang out , while offering tip jars for the band and to cover the cost of the food .
“ We ’ re open ,” Parkerson said . “ All will be fed . Everybody will be fed .”
Some people might tip up to $ 20 , he said , which is generous , but is also a smoking deal by any standard for a delicious meal and a live band . The core crew has the essentials for the tailgate covered . Over the years , they bought six tents that they tie together with a bar-type rail and they bring a big TV for watching the game because not everyone makes it into the stadium . Add a generator to power everything and they ’ re good to go .
The meal – sometimes multiple meals because they might serve breakfast before an 11 a . m . kickoff – is a huge undertaking made possible by a shared Google doc sign-up sheet to keep everyone organized . Sometimes there ’ s a theme , Parkerson said . But the two handsdown crowd favorites have to be his Parkerson Corral burgers and deviled eggs .
Parkerson said his secret to a delicious burger only requires basic ingredients but they must be cooked over charcoal and they must be cooked to medium doneness so they stay juicy . He still swears by his old Hasty- Bake grill .
And one of their friend group makes amazing deviled eggs that are always the first thing gone , he said .
Nothing about the gathering is upscale , including the beer .
“ We just kind of drink the cheap stuff . I figure I drank Keystone Light in college , I can drink it now ,” Parkerson said . “ It ’ s not a high-dollar tailgate . We don ’ t have a big , fancy trailer or anything .”
But it pleases the 60-100 people The Alumniati entertain most game days . You can double that for Homecoming , he said .
Homecoming is a special time for the Alumniati , and local Red Dirt godfathers the Red Dirt Rangers have dibs on that weekend .
Playing for the Alumniati tailgate generates a lot of interest among musicians and Parkerson said the group now has a list of bands that want to get on the schedule .
No matter the opponent , the bands usually wind up hanging out to watch the game and sometimes they play another set during halftime .
So if you ’ re around campus on game day and you follow the sounds of Red Dirt music and the smell of grilling meat , you could find yourself among the Alumniati – which probably means you ’ re about to have a really good time .
SwOk
STORY BY : Michelle Charles Stillwater Oklahoma Magazine
PHOTOS : Provided
CHAD SULLINS with RED DIRT RANGERS
STILLWATER OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE / 15
OSU BAND WARMUP