Did Toronto throw a good Grey Cup party?
Heck, ya, said the fans outside the Rogers Centre yesterday celebrating game day at two tailgate parties on Front and Bremner Sts.
A sea of Roughrider white and green with wisps of Blue Bomber blue and gold flooded the downtown in the leadup to the big game.
Rider fans Curtis Machmer, 27, came from Regina with his brother Shawn to watch the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers face off.
"It's fantastic around this area," Curtis said, wearing an Optimus Prime mask painted Rider green. Fans were festive heading into the 6 p.m. game as Sloan and Kim Mitchell rocked out at the two street festivals and the Barenaked Ladies partied inside the Metro Convention Centre.
Rider fan Mac Hubick was looking very festive in a green and white Santa suit.
"What I remember has been great," the Southey, Sask. resident said. "It's been a great Grey Cup."
Winnipeg fan Carol Duchesnay and her friend, Saskatchewan fan Connie Wurm, were on opposite ends of the football spectrum, but agreed it's been a good party.
PEOPLE HELPFUL
"I've actually found it really good (in Toronto)," Duchesnay, a veteran of nine Grey Cups, said.
"I'm surprised how helpful people were."
Bomber fans Tracy and Paul Rossier found out just how helpful people were when they arrived without tickets on the eve of the big game.
A Montreal Alouettes fan they met in a bar that night sold them two spare tickets.
"Today's been good," Tracy said after the Snowbirds made several passes over the crowd.
"The Snowbirds and Kim Mitchell are awesome," Paul said, as Mitchell jammed on the Bremner Street stage. "They just need a Grey Cup parade."
Ethel Mongovius,76, and her sister Pat Morris were enjoying a concert from the Argonotes band before going inside to cheer on the Riders.
Mongovius said when they arrived from Saskatoon on Tuesday they couldn't find anything to do so they visited the CN Tower and other landmarks.
The Grey Cup events themselves were great, she said, although Pat said the Riderville party could have been in a bigger room.
It wasn't just Rider nation and Blue Bomber fans outside the Rogers Centre, CFL fans of all stripes turned out for the 95th Grey Cup game.
Montreal fan Augustis Mantelis was ordering a hot dog.
"It was really nice, I like the organization," Mantelis said. "There was more players coming around." Mantelis already has tickets for next year's Grey Cup in Montreal, but he has some advice for Toronto. "Please keep the (Buffalo) Bills away," he said, adding NFL stands for "No Fun League."
