Fountain City Classic Parade turns out to be hotter than the tailgate grills

More than three hours before kickoff between Golden Rams of Albany State University and the Wildcats of Fort Valley State University, a 2002 Honda motorcycle ignited in flames on Broadway, heating up the Fountain City Classic Parade in downtown Columbus.

Police officers used portable fire extinguishers to put out flames in the 1200 block of Broadway about 10:20 a.m.. Saturday. The driver of the motorcycle was in line with the Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle Club but wasn’t injured in the fire that sent flames 15 feet into the sky.

Hundreds supporting the historically black colleges filled the city block, but crowds fanned out until authorities had the fire under control. Many sat in lawnchairs in the median or on the sidewalks for the parade that started in Phenix City and ended on Ninth Street in Columbus before the 2 p.m. contest at A.J. McClung Memorial Stadium.

The Rev. Alfred Bunkley, pastor of Antioch Baptist Church in Butler, Ga., and one who grew up in Talbot County, said he thinks highly of both schools, because many from the colleges became educators.

“In Talbot County, we were indirectly educated by both of those schools, either by a teacher who came from Albany or they came from Fort Valley,” said Bunkley, 52. “I applaud both schools, because they allowed blacks to get a college education where it wasn’t feasible for us to get a college education.”

As a minister, Bunkley said he gets a chance to talk to people who attended both colleges, and they recall how they received an education with little or no money.

“It was Fort Valley or Albany State, yet the registrars didn’t turn them around,” he said. “That is why I have high regard for both schools.”

Bryant Thomas, 64, of Phenx City said he didn’t attend Albany State but he has always supported the college and the parade. “I just like the team,” he said. “I’ve been coming about 20 years.”

A highlight during the parade is the marching band and dancing girls. Over the years, Thomas said he has enjoyed a few games and some tailgating.

Catherine Luke of Columbus said she didn’t attend either of the schools but has close ties through a sister and a niece. Her sister graduated from Albany State in 1980 and a niece coaches now at Albany High School.

“I’ve been coming since the beginning,” Luke said of her trips to the classic parade. “It’s been many years.”

While the streets downtown were crowded, the scene in the east parking lot of the Columbus Civic Center was a sea of Albany and Fort Valley tailgaters filling the entire lot with tents, buses, pickups, RVs and a more productive smoke pouring from the barbecue grills. Near the front of the building, there were vendors selling jumbo turkey legs, fried pork rinds, cheese sticks, fries and other gameday treats.

Daniel Cobb of the End Zone said large groups from both colleges turn out for the event. “We have a lot of alumni, and you’ve got some people living in rural areas who never go to a football game, but whenever Fort Valley and Albany State play, they come out of the woods and everything,” he said. “Every space from Victory Drive to the stadium is filled up.”

Cobb said his volunteer crew was ready to feed as many visitors as possible. They would prepare 18 slabs of ribs, 40 pounds of chicken drumsticks and wings along with 45 pounds of catfish and whiting. “We’re going to be here until they tell us to leave,” he said.

At age 85, Moree Lawrence of Reynolds, Ga., said she keeps returning to the classic because three of her sons graduated from Fort Valley.

“Everybody is like me,” she said. “They enjoy it. Everybody is here to have a good time.”

Lawrence said she is proud of her seven children, 18 grandchildren and 23 great grandchildren.

This year marked the 28th annual Fountain City Classic. Cleophus Hope, a retired Muscogee County educator and a member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity, said he was among the first tailgaters at the classic long before there was a parking lot or the Civic Center. His two sons graduated from Albany State and became educators.

Tailgating picked up after the schools changed the game schedule from nighttime to early afternoon. “It just grew and grew,” he said.

Photographer Robin Trimarchi contributed to this report.

This story was originally published November 4, 2017 at 5:10 PM with the headline "Fountain City Classic Parade turns out to be hotter than the tailgate grills."