Lincoln City Council members usually don't hang out at Barry's Bar & Grill, but Saturday, it was their first stop on a tailgate tour unlike any other.
Decked out in Husker gear, they pulled out their IDs for door security to check and filed into the packed bar.
They walked across the crowded room, trying to keep track of one another as music blared and bright-red lights bounced off the walls. They climbed the stairs and stopped amid the partygoers on the rooftop to take pictures and observe.
Although they're all rooting for the Huskers and there was plenty of fun during the tailgate walk, it had a serious purpose. Council members Carl Eskridge, Roy Christensen and Bennie Shobe, the three voting members of Lincoln's Internal Liquor Commission, were on a mission to check out the tailgating culture.
The group headed to their next stop — The Railyard in the Haymarket.
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"We look to see how many people are here, we're looking at their security, looking to see if there's any obvious overconsumption, and frankly, we're looking to see if there are any underage people here," Christensen said.Â
The last few years, Internal Liquor Commission members have headed out at about midnight to tour The Bridge Behavioral Health, where police bring intoxicated people. They then visit several O Street bars and end at a parking garage at 2 a.m. to observe how many people flood from the bars and into their vehicles after closing time.Â
They go on the tours once a year, Christensen said, as a way to stay updated on what's happening in the city.Â
With the boom of downtown student housing, Christensen said he's concerned with the increasingly high blood-alcohol content levels.Â
Many students are choosing to drink at their apartments before heading to the bars, which can create dangerous situations if they've consumed too much at home.
"The bars complain about that because it's lost revenue to them," Christensen said. "And it's also hard for the bars, because they don't know how much someone has consumed before they get there. They could very well have had three or four drinks and show up without symptoms, then order a few more drinks and by then they're completely blitzed."
Since there are no laws against public intoxication, police only transport people to The Bridge when it's believed they could be a danger to themselves or others, Christensen said. While he's happy to see the number of people being detained in detox go down, the average BAC level that people are brought in with has steadily increased over the last few years.
Nearly every gameday, The Bridge fills up, noted Phil Tegeler, the center's executive director. However, because of the maximum holding time of 24 hours, people are constantly coming and going from the center, so it usually isn't full for the entire night.
"If we can be of help to the community, that's our role," Tegeler said.
When the center fills up, police typically stay with intoxicated individuals they would normally transport to The Bridge until a family member or friend is able to pick them up.Â
Tegeler said he's been on about six bar or tailgate tours. He and others from the tour share their observations during the Internal Liquor Commission's monthly meeting, which includes police, bar owners and university officials.
"I think it's really helpful to get a better idea of how the community comes together," he said.
On Saturday, the group headed toward the Haymarket Park parking lots before making its way to the North Bottoms, where the Nebraska State Patrol and Lincoln police have partnered to shut down backyard tailgate parties hosting hundreds of minors this season.
This year, Christensen said, seemed pretty typical. The determining factor will come later, though, when members are able to analyze statistics compiled by police and The Bridge about alcohol-related incidents.
While they had a serious job to do, the members of the group still managed to have fun. Before they said goodbye, Shobe and Christensen smiled for a picture.
"My phone died, I took too many selfies," laughed Shobe.