A bystander watching a Friday night football game at John Burch Park will experience a multitude of sights and sounds. Bright lights illuminate the field, placing each player in a fluorescent spotlight. Cold pockets of breath rise slowly from the helmets of the players as they try and catch their breath, preparing for the next play. The vicarious parents nag at the referees and cheer on their boys. The pep band blares out tunes and the sound of whistles, cheerleaders and coaches yelling all echo throughout the miniature valley. The mood is serious. Win tonight, or feel the pain of defeat for a whole week until next weeks game day. However, if this same bystander were to glance over at the student section, they would notice a distinct contrast. Beyond the goal post there is a more fun and carefree tone being conveyed by the Cannon Falls students. The source – the newly added fan trailer.

This ultimate spectator experience has been quite the attraction at Bomber football games and happens to be the brainchild of seniors Peter Haggerty and Hunter Blakeslee. In past years, the student section at JBP primarily consisted of fold out chairs and blankets, but that has drastically changed this year with the addition of this creation. Now, energetic students pile onto a custom made “fan trailer” and jam out to a variety of tunes blaring through six different speakers, ranging from “Jump Around,” to “Sweet Caroline”. According to the two seniors, roughly six hours of preparation went into the creation of the double-decker wonder. Senior Josh Geiken was also a contributor to the trailer’s conception.

“The student section was always a little boring, so Hunter and I wanted to spice it up” explains Haggerty when asked of the primary motivation for the trailer. Blakeslee and Haggerty’s handiwork has been quite the success this year, as it was present for all of the Bomber home games this season. But will the fan trailer be making appearances for years to come, long after Haggerty and Blakeslee have graduated?

When asked about this, Blakeslee responded, “I think we’re going to have an auction for the younger grades (to decide who earns the rights to this artistic expression of school spirit).” One thing is for certain: whoever receives the fan trailer will have quite the shoes to fill.