MILWAUKEE (NBC 26) — The sun was shining, and excitement was high as Opening Day kicked off at American Family Field. Brewers fans from across Wisconsin gathered to tailgate with friends and watch some baseball.
“We love the Brewers,” said Ryan Nickel, a native of Suamico. “We’ve been coming down here since before I could even walk, honestly. It’s amazing to come down here now and see what it’s like as I’m older.”
Nickel explained that Opening Day has been a tradition for as long as he can remember.
“It’s kind of a tradition for all of us,” he said. “We always come down for Opening Day. My dad’s been coming since he was a little kid, so he passed this tradition down to us, and we’ve been coming ever since.”
For some Brewers fans, Opening Day is a newer tradition—like for a group of friends from Kimberly.
“It started with four of us going down every year,” said Travis Vanden Oever. “Somebody always had to drive, so we thought, ‘Let’s just get 20 people, rent a bus, and do it.’ And it works. So here we are—three years in now.”
Vanden Oever and 19 friends met at Tanner’s Bar & Grill in Kimberly to take the bus to Milwaukee, with a stop at another bar along the way. They had been looking forward to the trip since last year.
“Opening Day is unlike any other game,” he said. “It’s basically a playoff game. The atmosphere is the same, and the people are the same. It’s an awesome time. It’s going to be a little emotional this year with Ueck, but it’s going to be good.”
Despite the Brewers’ tough weekend in the Bronx, where they were swept by the Yankees and allowed 15 home runs in three games, fans remained optimistic about the series against the Royals and the rest of the season.
“The Brewers have a young roster, so all we’ve got to do is stay hopeful and let them play baseball,” said Colin Sternhagen, also from Kimberly. “It’s a long season. We went through one rough series, but there are plenty more to come, so we just have to get after it.”
Fans hope the tradition of busing down to Milwaukee for Brewers Opening Day will continue for years to come.
