Bears Bash to bring tailgating atmosphere to Rolling Meadows

Mike Reppe says he was playing cards online last month with a group of friends - many of them Bears season ticket holders - when they wondered out loud when they'd get their money back for what's started as a spectatorless season at Soldier Field.

But perhaps more importantly, Reppe said, his group misses another Sunday tradition that normally comes with football on the lakefront: tailgating.

"I started thinking about how could I bring that atmosphere to A, my friends, but B, to my customers," said Reppe, owner of Rep's Place sports bar and restaurant in Rolling Meadows.

The result is a Bears Bash parking lot watch party Oct. 8 for Thursday Night Football outside Rep's Place, 3200 Kirchoff Road, in the Rolling Meadows Shopping Center.

Rep's and the Rolling Meadows Park District, the event co-sponsor, are putting up an 18-by-18-foot jumbotron to show the game at 7:20 p.m., after live pregame music starting at 5 p.m. by the Donner Brothers.

Reservations are required to get one of the 30 parking lot tables or 10 on the patio, but by midweek, they were nearly at capacity. Reppe said there may still be some space inside the restaurant the night of the game. He also hopes to host another tailgate-style event later in the season.

Fans who reserved a table will have to bring their own chairs and blankets. And they can't bring their own food or drink, but it will be available for purchase.

Per social distancing guidelines, attendees will have to stay at their tables, unless going to the concession stand or bathrooms (and they'll have to wear face masks there).