Boiling N’ Bragging, the ‘ultimate tailgate party,’ goes on despite rain, stormy skies

Boiling N’ Bragging, an annual benefit for the Children’s of Alabama Critical Care Transport program, is billed as “the ultimate football season kick-off tailgate party.”

And the party went on as scheduled in the parking lot near Otey’s Tavern in Crestline for the eighth year on Saturday night despite stormy skies and a steady rain.

At least 300 attendees showed up at the shopping center to support a good cause, hear live music, talk college football with fans of their schools and others, and eat great food – including hamburgers, hot dogs and a low-country boil with corn, shrimp, sausage and potatoes.

Most attendees avoided the rain by huddling under the tents set up for a dozen colleges – including Alabama, Auburn, UAB and Troy State – or by retreating to the shopping center’s covered breezeways to eat and talk with friends.

But they seemed to be “enjoying the night,” said Mary Jean Sanspree, spokesperson for Rotary District 6880, which has 53 clubs in North Alabama and sponsors the event with Otey’s, Children’s, Charter Spectrum and Waste Management.

“It hasn’t deterred them from eating the shrimp,” Sanspree added, laughing.

Jack Monroe, an Alabama fan from Shelby County, was sitting at a table in a light rain eating the low-country boil. He said he enjoyed “the food, the beer and just seeing everybody having a good time.”

“One thing most Alabama people love is football,” said Kristen Gardner, a UAB cheerleader. “It’s cool that these people can come out to support a great cause and wear their different colors and get ready for football season.”

Hoover resident Jason Bryant was working at the Auburn tent, along with other members of the Greater Birmingham Auburn Club.

“You get to see a lot of people and socialize, and you get to see people from the other schools and talk about the upcoming football season and help a great cause,” he said.

Arnold Mooney – an Alabama state representative from District 43 in Shelby County and a member of the North Shelby/Inverness Rotary Club that originated the fundraiser – said that working in the Legislature has helped show him the importance of the cause.

“We’re always trying to find ways to fund programs, so anything we can do locally to help spread the funds out is good, and transport is a huge issue,” Mooney said. “Critical care is important.”

Rotarians locally have gotten to know the members of the Critical Care Transport team, according to Sanspree.

“That means a lot to us to know the people who are actually going out and helping the children,” she said.

One of those personnel is Michael Rogers, a Critical Care Transport flight nurse.

“I’ve been transporting kids for over 20 years,” he said. “I can’t imagine doing anything else. Kids are so innocent. Kids can’t control what happens to them.”

The Critical Care Transport team includes nurses and respiratory therapists and transports more than 1,000 children each annually, according to childrensal.org.

Lance Taylor from WJOX-FM served as emcee; singer and guitar player Sean Heninger provided the music.