For many irked fans, the grill is gone

The opening kickoff to Saturday's University of Minnesota-Miami (Ohio) football game was nearly three hours away, yet Gophers fans already were grumbling about being thrown for a loss. "They're kicking the tailgaters out of the parking lots, but there's really no place left for us to tailgate," said Joe Kauffman, 29, of Bloomington. He watched other fans pack up brats, beer bongs and beanbags and head toward other lots near the Metrodome -- often to be turned away again. For many Gophers football fans, the real game this season is this: Where to tailgate?

Minnesota Vikings fans are expected to have wider options for today's season opener at the Dome, and U officials hope to include tailgating options in the new campus stadium scheduled to open in 2009.

But for now, Gopher fans are on their own:There is no official University of Minnesota tailgating lot this year. The Rapid Park lot near Target Center was a haven for tailgaters last year, but that lot is the future home of the Twins new ballpark and is under construction. When the new Guthrie Theater and adjacent Gold Medal Park were created, other tailgating haunts disappeared. According to the university, only seven locations near the Metrodome allow tailgating, but some forbid kegs, tables, tents, football, beanbags or other games.

Shannon Loecher, 36, a Gophers season-ticket holder, rarely misses a game or a chance to tailgate. But last weekend, she struggled to find a place where she and her parents and friends could relax before the game. But buying a $175 "maroon" membership to the Goal Line boosters club entitled her to buy a season's parking spot -- for an additional $115 -- in a lot on the corner of Washington and Park Avenues, where tailgating is allowed.

"We have a group of 25 people, and finding a place to tailgate has become a real challenge," said Loecher. "I understood there were only a few season parking passes available. I feel fortunate."

Vikings fans may not have to scramble as frantically for today's home opener against Atlanta. Some lots plan to be more receptive to pro football fans. For instance, the lot on the east side of the Old Spaghetti Factory, on the corner of Chicago and Washington, had a "No Tailgating Allowed" sign clearly in sight Saturday, but will allow tailgating for Sunday's Vikings-Falcons game, said James Hughes, a lot attendant for Imperial Parking. Tailgating Gophers fans were being asked to leave the lot Saturday due to rowdy behavior the weekend before, another Imperial attendant said.

"I never saw the 'No Tailgating' sign," said Mike Hurt, 49, of Shoreview as he presided over a brand new Coleman stove. "Last year, I parked at the other end [the Rapid Park lot] and before that it was by the liquor store [the new Guthrie area]. I don't plan to move anywhere this morning. I've got breakfast burritos to cook."

The total atmosphere

Staci Johnson, 24, a law student at the University of St. Thomas, and her husband, Matt Johnson, 25, a University of Minnesota graduate, consider themselves "responsible" tailgaters. They worried that a key aspect of the Gophers football experience was being fumbled away.

"You go to Wisconsin or Michigan and it's part of the atmosphere," Matt Johnson said. "I don't think the university has done a very good job handling this. We're all frustrated."

Said Teresa Grim, president of the Goal Line Club: "With a new coach, there's a lot of excitement this year. People want to have fun. They want to tailgate."

Athletic Director Joel Maturi said he understands the frustration. "We hope this will be a short-term problem," said Maturi, citing the new stadium opening in two years.

But on Saturday, not everyone could wait. Kira Jepsen, 21, a senior at the university, said she'd grown weary of moving from one lot to the next. "We're trying to boost morale for our team and ... uh, here come the police ..."

Brandon Ulstad, 32, a University of Minnesota graduate from Madison, Minn., had no such worries. He joined the Goal Line Club and paid $115 to get into the lot at Washington and Park.

"If they had charged double, I probably would have paid it," he said.

Paul Levy • 612-673-4419

Paul Levy • plevy@startribune.com