Concessions Impressions

I got my cheese fix again, albeit after a fashion.

One week after missing out through no fault of my own, Greenfield came through. Or was the norm, I should say.

I had a cheeseburger at halftime of Grafton’s win, as much out of respect for the hosts and spite for Plymouth than anything.

They didn’t have onions, but I didn’t care. I had the Dairy State’s most prolific product, unlike the stand a couple of weeks ago in Plymouth, which calls itself the “cheese capital of the world,” yet didn’t have any. (This is a city with so many cheese companies its Swiss doesn’t even have holes.)

I did have to wait for my grilled favorite at Greenfield. I left early to beat World Series traffic but, despite road construction in perpetuity, cruised through the Zoo Interchange. Apparently, everyone got to the game earlier, about nine hours in some cases.

Nonetheless, the concession stand hadn’t opened when I arrived more than an hour before kickoff. But there was a bake sale just a couple of hundred feet away. I highly recommend the homemade caramel puffcorn.

While I missed World Series traffic, Random Lake/Ozaukee’s football team may have seen some.

If the Minnesota Twins were hosting Game 1.

The Bison made the five-hour, 20-minute drive to Saint Croix Falls for their playoff game. Their coach bus stopped at a Kwik Trip along the way. From the excitement, coach Cole Large said he deduced that this is the boys’ favorite store.

I support this. Kwik Trip has cheeseburgers.

Ozaukee volleyball coach Ashley Barnes drove herself and a couple of teenage fans to the game, and at one point said they were closer to the Mall of America than the football field.

Kudos to the Saint Croix Falls Booster Club for offering free food and drinks at a pregame tailgate party. I bet they had cheese.

On the way home, the Bison stopped in Stevens Point to change drivers because the first one ran out of hours he could legally operate a bus. I’m not kidding.

They arrived home at 4:30 a.m., Large said. They could’ve stopped for breakfast at my favorite diner, Riversedge in Saukville, which opens at that very time. They also have cheeseburgers, but I have only devoured breakfast there. So far.

In all, the Bison were on the bus for around 11 hours.

For context, the entire Brewers-Dodgers National League Championship Series lasted 12 hours and 17 minutes. The Bison could have flown to Tampa and back, watched the entire first season of “Ted Lasso” twice or last year’s entire broadcast of the Super Bowl three times.

These road trips seem to be a theme with Ozaukee. The baseball team in spring traveled two hours, 15 minutes for its playoff opener.

At this pace, the Warriors’ basketball teams could check out the best spots to view Mount Rushmore and the girls’ soccer team could pick up a pamphlet on Yellowstone National Park. The baseball players may want to apply for passports.

For the record, I had another cheeseburger at the Grafton vs. Port Washington soccer game Saturday afternoon. Just because I could.