ATLANTA, Ga. — The Mountaineer fan population in Atlanta, Ga. is growing by the thousands for the Labor Day Weekend ahead of Saturday’s Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game for West Virginia University and Alabama at the Georgia Dome.
But Ashley Clayton, alumni events coordinator for the Alabama Alumni Association, said the Crimson Tide would be represented well on Game Day too.
“It’s a nice little drive over for us (to the Georgia Dome), so we should be there in full force,” Clayton said on Thursday’s MetroNews “Talkline.”
“We played there last year and we’ve played the SEC Championship Game there a time or two, so the Georgia Dome is kind of a second home for us,” she said.
On Thursday, MetroNews “Talkline,” MetroNews “Hotline” and the MetroNews “Statewide Sportsline” were broadcasting from Laseter’s Tavern, located along Cobb Parkway, in Atlanta.
Rich Boden owns Laseter’s Tavern which has been hosting Mountaineer fans on game days in Atlanta for more than a dozen years now.
He said it’s something that started almost as an accident when a former WVU hangout for those with the Peach State Chapter of WVU’s Alumni Association closed. “I think everybody would love to have the West Virginia group like we do,” Boden said of the gold and blue faithful.
On Friday, the shows will move to Park Tavern on 10th St. in Atlanta.
For Saturday’s Game Day, the official WVU Mountaineer Madness Party will begin at 10:00 a.m. at the Georgia World Congress Center which is located next to the Georgia Dome. The Mountaineer party will be adjacent to the Chick-fil-A FanFest.
Steve Ware, a Charleston native who now lives in Atlanta, is predicting a WVU win.
“We have a lot going in our favor. We’ve got the fan support. This is going to be a neutral site game. A lot of people, when it was announced, thought it would be a home game for Alabama, but it’s not,” he said Thursday. “I just think that our guys are fired up and they’re ready to win.”
Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. Saturday. According to WVU officials, there are still tickets available for Saturday’s game through the Mountaineer Ticket Office at www.wvugame.com or by calling 1-800-WVU-GAME.
More information about all of the Mountaineer fan events planned for the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game is available here.