Husker fans create sea of red at Railyard watch party, giving bars a big boost

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — The Railyard has been throwing Husker watch parties for the last decade, and the businesses there say there’s nobody quite like Husker fans.

“It’s like a sea of red,” bartender Audrey Vieregger said Thursday before Nebraska’s season opener against Cincinnati.

Hundreds of fans filled the area, focusing on the giant cube screen above them to catch the players’ next moves.

Another bartender, Addisyn Gibbens, said the Husker crowd is always energetic.

“There’s at least one person every 10 minutes who’s going to yell ‘Go big red’ and expect other people to yell it back,” she said. “So it’s going to be very crazy but in the best way.”

The Railyard has seen its share of bars and restaurants pass through since it opened. The bar that’s been there the longest is Gate 25.

The manager said prepping for the season opening watch party means keeping the bar stocked and the place fully staffed.

Gate 25 usually has five waitstaff on any given day; on Thursday, it had 30.

“They all want to be here and want to work, and I think that’s what really drives us all, and all are like a family,” Vieregger said.

The youngest vendor to enter the mix in The Railyard the Corner Bar, opening just last year.

General manager David Sobel said preparing for the first full season required “a lot of scrambling, a lot of learning, a lot of mistakes.”

But he said that’s part of a rite of passage to see what he calls some of the most loyal fans.

“I definitely have to give props to the Husker fans,” Sobel said.

He moved to Lincoln from Southern California and said he’s never seen a fan base so passionate.

“The fans are great, and they always show out,” Sobel said.

Tara Duggar, who moved here from a small town near Seattle, isn’t the biggest football fan but said she’s all about how the Huskers make Lincoln feel like a small town.

“They bring everyone together, and everyone has something to rally around, and it creates the most fun community,” she said. “I just absolutely love it.”