M Go Tailgate

It’s rivalry week, folks! Game 9 of the season brings our in-state rivals, the Michigan State Spartans, to Ann Arbor on Saturday, November 7.

And because the football gods love to test our aging bones and caffeine tolerances, it’s a 7:30 PM night game. Seriously—because why on earth does a chilly November rivalry game have to be a night game? Nothing says “fun” like freezing your tail off under the lights for four hours just to stagger back to the lot approaching midnight. But hey, we wouldn’t miss it for the world.

Menu: The Chicago Italian Beef Tailgate! To keep us warm through the evening chill, we are pulling out all the stops for The Italian Beef Tailgate! We’re serving up slow-roasted, tender Italian beef piled high on crusty rolls with plenty of melted provolone, spicy giardiniera, and savory au jus for dipping. Bring your appetite because this spread is built for a cold night.  Assuming we can find cider we will have that warming on the grill.

As always, we will have hotdogs for the kids, or even that stubborn high schooler who refuses to eat anything else… Outside of the main course, pop, and water, we ask that you contribute sides, desserts, and whatever game-day snacks you want to show off.

Please be sure to include what you’re bringing in the signup comments so we don’t end up with a dozen bags of chips and the same containers of Kroger cookies (again). If you have questions, ask one of us before Saturday.

As a reminder, please check in with Ken or Rich when you arrive. It helps us settle up and know who is in each group, especially with a massive rivalry crowd hanging around!  We might pull out wristbands if we expect a big crowd.

Hello, are you new here? If so, here are the details you need to know. We run M Go Tailgate for fun—this is not a business or a catered affair. If you found your way here, ask whoever invited you for the password to sign up or see the location link above. To make things easy, we ask for a contribution for the main course along with pop and water.

So here is what you need to do:

• Find the sign up link at the bottom of the post
• Use the magic password to access the signup
• Select YES or NO for your RSVP
• Add in the number of adults and children in your party
• Select the number of adults and children for the main course contribution
• Select side dish and/or dessert for your party size
• Select the number for keg beer/seltzer if desired

📍 Location: We’ll do our best to snag the usual spot, but as you know it’s always a bit of musical chairs.

⏰ Tailgate starts: Around 2:30 or 3 PM. Since it’s a night game, we have a much more civilized afternoon start time, with the main food rolling out around 4:00 PM to fuel up before heading into the stadium.

Noon help: Night games means that the lot opens at noon.  So rather than line up in the dark we have to play musical chairs with fully loaded vehicles with no idea if they will open the lot early or not and when will be the last time that the police force us to rotate around the block again.  Anyone who can be in the area at say 11:30/45 to walk in when the lot opens at noon would be of great help to save our spots.  Remember at the Texas game it was a Spartan fan who stole the end spot for his friends from Texas.  Please message Ken or Rich if you can help.  We have access to 2 parking spots just across Main street for this purpose. As soon as we park you can leave and come back later.

💵 Contribution: $20/adult covers the mains, pop, and water. Kids discounted as usual. If cost is ever an issue, just let a host know — we’d always rather have you there. If you plan on just stopping to say hello, or not eating the main course, no contribution is required.

Other tailgate notes:

• Grill Access: Grill will be available for anyone with dietary needs or DIY cooking.
• KEG BEER & SELTZER: Available again this week for a $10 contribution. Be sure to sign up. Brands and flavors are TBD based on availability.
• BYOB still applies: Community blue cooler rules: add some, take some.
• Booze stash: Bring what you want to share. We do not always put it all out, so just ask.

Signup link: 2026 Game 9 Michigan State (password is the same clever twist as always). If you need the password, please reach out to one of the hosts or whoever invited you. Please sign up early so we can lock down our food counts!

Go Blue! 💛💙