JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Florida-Georgia week kicked off with the opening of RV City, a parking lot reserved for RVs and trailers near EverBank Stadium on Tuesday.
While fans and alumni are days away from the big game, the tailgating experience is just a portion of their fun as people drove far and wide to stay in Jacksonville. For some football fans, the tailgating experience is more memorable than the game itself.
Tailgating at RV City is not just a party to Florida-Georgia fans. Some people First Coast News spoke with, compared it to a family reunion instead. Brandon Alghren, a Gator fan, says the game is like catching up on old times with college football fans.
"We all know each other," Alghren said. "We only see each other once a year."
For one Georgia fan, staying at RV City has become a tradition in his family, something he's passed down to his sons. Richard Edmonds, 73, has been tailgating Florida-Georgia events for 31 years. Edmonds says every year his family is always finding something new to enjoy at the festivities thus, creating more memories on the First Coast.
Jacksonville is one of the few cities left in the nation to still host a neutral ground sporting event. Alumni and fans such as Edmonds go out their way to visit and carry on a tradition that's been around for 90 years.
"I'm so thankful to the good Lord above," Edmonds said. "Not everyone is able to get out and do this."
Win or lose, it's the sense of community these rivals have created that will hopefully last for 90 more years.