SAN ANTONIO — Bryan Heath, Andy Skelton, and a few friends started their Alamo Bowl tailgate with one parking spot and one grill 13 years ago.
This year, four bands performed for the party's roughly 300 attendees while the hosts smoked 750 pounds of deer meat and passed out as many as 3,000 beers.
"We talked about it this year and said, 'Either we're going to go big or go home,'" Skelton said.
But the BSKELLY Tailgate is about more than partying or college football.
"After we had about 100 or 200 people showing up, we're like, 'You know what? If we're going to do this, let's make it mean something,'" Heath said.
"Our goal is to raise $10,000," he continued. "It's a tailgate with a purpose."
Volunteers, mostly coaches and teachers from San Antonio schools, collect an entry fee. The tailgate donates its earnings each year to local charities.
This season, BSKELLY will send its proceeds to Metro Health's foundation for COVID-19 aid and the Trinity Oaks organization, which provides outdoor experiences to underprivileged people or those living with mental or physical illnesses.
Trinity Oaks donated deer meat it collected during its charitable hunting trips to this year's tailgate.
"There's a lot of crazy going on in the world," Skelton said. "This gives us a chance to come in and just be us."
"They're going to have a fun tailgate, they're going to get a lot to eat and drink and hear four really good bands," Heath said. "They're also contributing to a charity and a worthwhile cause."
BSKELLY will know whether it met its $10,000 goal in late January, Skelton said.
"To me, it's about the City of San Antonio," he added. "We're showcasing the city for the Oregon Ducks and the Oklahoma Sooners."
To donate, click here.