MERIDIAN —
The smell of hot nachos and cold beer is all around you. You can see beads of sweat falling from Peyton Manning's brow as he hurls the ball. The voice of the announcer booms on the loudspeakers.
This kind of 2010 Super Bowl experience can only be found in Miami, right? Nope.
Sunday night, more than 50 Meridian citizens took the opportunity to watch Super Bowl XLIV at the Temple Theater, the biggest screen in Meridian showing the game. Costs for tickets? None; admission was free.
"This'll be my first time seeing it like this, so I think it'll be pretty fun" said Ryan Parker, who came to the Super Bowl bash with his grandfather, Earnest Byrd.
"We want to see a good show," said Earnest Byrd. "We were thinking it would be better than looking at a TV."
Besides the 40-foot screen to watch professional football's most important game on, guests also indulged in freshly cooked food, just like they were tailgating.
"We're going to eat here," Parker said. "They said they're going to have a lot of good food here so that's one of the reasons we also came."
Those attending also took advantage of the lowest concession prices in town, with an expanded snack line-up that included third-pound hamburgers, jumbo hot dogs and chili dogs. Soft drinks, bottled water and plenty of beer were also for sale.
To prepare for the event, the Temple Theater took on an additional seven volunteers and workers to work the concession stand and the sound booth.
Super Bowl fans at the theater were also lucky enough to hear ESPN announcers through a newly refurbished sound system.
"We got a whole new speaker system that we just finished tweaking today from Peavey," said Philip Jacobs, house manager for the Temple Theater. "We got it in today, just before the Super Bowl."
Jacobs said that more highs and subwoofers have been added, and that the sound has been separated to enhance the surround sound effect.
As part of the Super Bowl events, a band by the name of The Young Guns gave the newly added system a loud and soulful test at 3 p.m., playing rock 'n' roll classics and giving a performance like seasoned musicians, though the oldest member is only 16.
"I started playing when I was seven," said Brandon Closson, the 14-year-old lead vocalist of appropriately named Young Guns. Of the future of he and his band, Closson said, "I hope that we get famous as The Who up there playing the Super Bowl and inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame."
Jacobs said that the Temple Theater definitely plans to have more events like Sunday's Super Bowl celebration and the American Idol viewing held a few weeks ago.
On the people who skipped out on Sunday's festivities, Jacobs said simply, "People are missing out."
Local News
Related Photos
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The lead singer of The Young Guns, Brandon Closson, age 14, sings with the voice of an experienced vocalist. The band played before the Super Bowl on Sunday at the Temple Theater. Byron Wilkes / The Meridian Star
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Guests at the Temple Theater purchase refreshments, including jumbo hot dogs, nachos and third-pound burgers, at Sunday's Super Bowl celebration. Byron Wilkes / The Meridian Star
Discussion
Fans show team spirit at Temple viewing of Super Bowl XLIV
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