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Even if you’ve never been there, you know the legend of ‘The Grove’. Ole Miss Sports Productions recently released a video that captures some of that magic.
Originally, gathering in The Grove was an informal tailgating get-together when most serious pre-game socializing took place at the fraternity and sorority houses. By the 1950s, the Grove started to become its own pregame tradition.
Automobiles, including RV campers, have been kept out of The Grove since a rainstorm in 1991 that reduced the Grove to a rutted swamp. The autos were replaced by tents. As a result of fans claiming certain areas within The Grove for their tents, and often getting angry when they arrived and found someone else in “their spot”. The Ole Miss Alumni Association’s Grove Society began in 1998 to preserve the 10-acre (4.0 ha) green space. The Grove Society posts a strict schedule for the event.
The Grove comes to life for Ole Miss Rebels football home games with as many as 25,000 fans.Fans arrive often around 12:00PM the day before the game (campus rule is no one allowed to “stake their claim” before 9:00 pm, which is strictly enforced by campus police) to grab their spot in The Grove. This usually serene area of campus becomes a sea of red, white and blue tents. Ole Miss students generally dress in their Sunday best: Men wear slacks, button-up shirts, bow ties, Sperry Top Siders, and coats while women wear cocktail dresses or brightly colored sundresses and high heel shoes. Some older fans also dress in this style.
Many tents are set up with fine kitchen ware. You’ll often find lots of lace and designer doilies, fine china, chandeliers, sterling silver or silver plated candelabras and sterling silver or silver plated utensils along with chandeliers in some tents. Much of the food is laid out on table cloths in sterling silver or silver-plated servers.
The food fare often consists of hors d’oeuvres, but as with most tailgating parties, barbecue still has authority. There’s also the traditional Southern food: fried chicken, pork, homemade dressings, mashed potatoes and stuffed eggs.
Every now and then, a loud voice breaks the hum of the crowd present in The Grove with the yell, “Are you READY?” This is the beginning of the Ole Miss cheer, known as “Hotty Toddy.”
On cue, hundreds of fans reply, “HELLLLL YEAH! DAAAAMN RIGHT!”
Then, in unison, they begin to chant the Hotty Toddy cheer:
| “ | Hotty Toddy, Gosh almighty Who the hell are we, Hey! Flim Flam, Bim Bam OLE MISS BY DAMN!’ |
” |
A graduate of the University of South Carolina and former ESPN employee, Justin believes the best stories can't be scripted and the best moments come naturally.
