Super Bowl party: Warehouse manager has organized them for 20 years

Super Bowl parties have been around since the first big showdown in 1966. And Colin Patterson, warehouse manager at River Eagle Distributing, a Cape Girardeau beer distributorship, has been involved in planning them for 20 years. He can't remember what teams played in the 1986 Super Bowl, but he remembers the party was held in the basement of a friend's house.

This year's party was held in a special meeting room at River Eagle. The big game was shown on a 60-inch wide-screen TV. Patterson, who refers to himself as beverage manager, made available free Budweiser, Bud Light, Widmer and Peels, for those wanting draft beer to wash down the buffalo wings, smoked port butts, ribs, baked beans and other food consumed by 30-some frenzied football fans.

Patterson originally planned for the party to be held at the Knights of Columbus Hall, but since bingo was being played in a room there, Patterson thought parking might be a problem. So he moved the party to his family-owned business on Rust Avenue.

"We've had what we call the Eagle Room for about 13 years," said Patterson. "We let our customers use it, we hold meetings here, and I thought this would be perfect for the party."

Prior to the Super Bowl, a Texas Hold 'Em card tournament was held. Card tournaments have been held at previous parties he's helped organize.

"We try to finish it before the game starts," he said. "Some years it works and some years it doesn't. This year the tournament started about 1:30, well before the start of the game. Some people played right up until game time."

Patterson said this year's party went very well, and people stayed to about 30 minutes after the game ended. He said about 30 people were at the party, which started at noon. During the day and throughout the game, which didn't end until about 9:30 p.m., wives and children of the mostly male audience dropped by.

"Most people liked the outcome of the game," said Patterson. "About 80 percent were for the Steelers."

Last year, Patterson's group of friends and fellow employees held the party at the American Legion. Next year, he said, it might return to River Eagle Distributing.

Patterson is assisted in planning the annual bash. Mick Engelhardt has been the food manager for the past seven or eight years. A brother-in-law to Patterson, Engelhardt said he usually smokes pork butts and ribs the day of the game, but this year he smoked them at his home in McClure, Ill., the day before the kick-off.

"I didn't want to be late with the food," he said.

Engelhardt said he and Patterson "were just kids when this started 20 years ago." He said that in the early years, his mom cooked food for the parties. Then, as the parties grew in size, pizzas were ordered delivered.

"When we got a little older and had a little more money in our pockets, we got into cooking ribs and pork," said Engelhardt. "We started to have bigger spreads."

At this year's party, besides a big tub of smoked meats, buckets of buffalo wings were bought from a local restaurant. Chips, pretzels and cole slaw were also part of the menu.

Engelhardt said party-goers went through "the first round of food" in the early afternoon, and most people had a second helping during the game.

Patterson said that for many years the parties were held in the home of Chris Wheeler, a friend. Wheeler had a pool table and pool tournaments were organized prior to the game. Over the years -- as Wheeler moved into bigger and bigger houses -- the parties grew in size. When children were added to Wheeler's family, it was time to shift the venue.

Patterson said everyone helps with the post-game clean-up. "That kind of organizes itself. Everyone pitches in and the place cleans up pretty fast." Patterson said he'll begin planning for the Super Bowl XLI party in late December.

"Right after the holidays, I'll get a jump on it," he said with a gleam in his eye.