It is almost cliche to now say that we are so “ready” for 2020 to end. Even magazines and other conventional media have toned down their trite yet ubiquitous “The Year in Review” standards.
Still, there are celebrations going on. As many of us finish up the year with a reduced schedule we are looking forward to quiet (and appropriate) celebrations and watching some sports on TV. These activities are not reduced. The bowl game schedule alone is fairly robust plus New Years Day falls on a Friday, making it easy for a relaxing weekend before all of those resolutions kick in.
Local Libations
Celebrating in style for the New Year? We have some excellent spirits markets across the region to help make your New Year’s Eve and game watching flavorful.
Sure, mega marts have many of the same stock but your local libation retailer is way more interesting to visit and explore. And, let’s face it, spirits are all about fun. Check out some of our local retailers below:
- Pauken Wine and Liquor (Maumee)
- Flick’s Package Liquor (Lamertbille)
- Glass City Beverages (Toledo)
- Navarre Carryout (Oregon)
- Holloway Beer and Wine (Holland)
- Joseph’s Beverage Center (Toledo)
- Ellas Liquor and Grocery (Erie)
- Monroe Liquor Plaza (Monroe)
Local Delivery
There are several ways to take your New Year’s celebrations local. The easiest (and most obvious) is to order take out from a local restaurant. Most of us are tired of cooking after the holiday. Take out is a great way to infuse some much-needed business into your favorite restaurant AND into the local economy.
We all know and love our pizza places. Supporting the local pizza joints rather than a national chain is a great way to pump a little cash into the local restaurant economy. Of course, most eateries also offer take out (given the inside seating restrictions), and now is a great time to be supportive. More importantly, a little planning ahead will make sure you can pick up your meal and be seated and ready for kick-off with little to no fuss.
And don’t forget a couple of local icons that are perfect for game day or just curing the winter blues. Tony Packo’s and Magic Wok are both local and easily accessible.
Check out Local Pizza Companies including:
- Ginos Pizza
- Jo-Jo’s Pizza
- Pisanello’s
- Cameo Pizza
- Mancino’s
- Polleyeyes
- Bambino’s
- Pizza Cat
Local Provisions
There are so many ways to pick up something special for New Year’s Eve or Football watching. Besides great local deli’s at groceries, specialty stores like Monnette’s Markets (at Secor, Glendale, and Reynolds) all offer deli meats, cheeses, dips, and even pizza fixings. The same is true for Sofo’s, which may be a Mecca for snack trays and pizza fixings.
There are several stand-alone deli’s that also offer great options. Consider the Mediterranean Market of Tiger Deli for trays, human, grape leaves, and other pastries both savory and sweet. You may also want to check out the Big Apple Deli in Oregon which proudly lists that it is closed every Sunday EXCEPT Super Bowl Sunday. Obviously, they pride themselves on Football Fan Fuel.
- Monnette’s Glendale
- Monnette’s Secor
- Sofo’s
- Middle East Market
- Tiger Deli
- Big Apple Deli
- Walt Churchill’s Market (Perrysburg)
- Walt Churchill’s Market (Briarfield)
- Sautter’s Market (Sylvania)
- Sautter’s Market (Whitehouse)
- Kazmaier Market (Perrysburg)
- Garden Harvest Marketplace
- Gerth’s Beef and Deli (Temperance, MI)
Local Products
Finally, is there a better way to support our local economy than buying locally produced products? There are a lot of options but consider
- Stanley’s Sausage and Kielbasa
- Tony Packo’s Products (including noodles for chili mac)
- Anything from Dei Fratelli (including their salsa and line of pizza sauces)
- Both Mikesell’s and Ballreich’s Potatoe Chips
- Great Lakes Brewing Company
- Local Wines, including Majestic Oak Winery, Chateau Tebeau Winery, Gillig Winery, and Stoney Ridge Winery
- Rudy’s Hot Dog Sauce
- Skyline Chili
- Barry’s Bagels
NCAA College Football Schedule
Dec. 29
Cheez-It Bowl
No. 18 Miami vs. No. 21 Oklahoma State
Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida)
5:30 p.m. | ESPN
Valero Alamo Bowl
No. 20 Texas vs. Colorado
Alamodome (San Antonio, Texas)
9 p.m. | ESPN
Dec. 30
Duke’s Mayo Bowl
Wake Forest vs. Wisconsin
Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, North Carolina)
12 p.m. | ESPN
Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic
No. 6 Oklahoma vs. No. 7 Florida
AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas)
8 p.m. | ESPN
Dec. 31
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
No. 24 Tulsa vs. Mississippi State
Amon G. Carter Stadium (Fort Worth, Texas)
12 p.m. | ESPN
Arizona Bowl
No. 22 San Jose State vs. Ball State
Arizona Stadium (Tucson, Arizona)
2 p.m. | CBSSN
AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Army vs. West Virginia
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium (Memphis, Tennessee)
4 p.m. | ESPN
Texas Bowl
TCU vs. Arkansas
NRG Stadium (Houston, Texas)
8 p.m. | ESPN
Jan. 1
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
No. 8 Cincinnati vs. No. 9 Georgia
Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, Georgia)
12 p.m. | ESPN
Vrbo Citrus Bowl
No. 14 Northwestern vs. Auburn
Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida)
1 p.m. | ABC
College Football Playoff semifinal — Game 1
No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Notre Dame
AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas)
4 p.m. | ESPN
Allstate Sugar Bowl (College Football Playoff semifinal)
No. 2 Clemson vs. No. 3 Ohio State
Mercedes-Benz Superdome (New Orleans, Louisiana)
8 p.m. | ESPN
Jan. 2
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl
No. 23 NC State vs. Kentucky
TIAA Bank Field (Jacksonville, Florida)
12 p.m. | ESPN
Outback Bowl
No. 11 Indiana vs. Ole Miss
Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Florida)
12:30 p.m. | ABC
PlayStation Fiesta Bowl
No. 10 Iowa State vs. No. 25 Oregon
State Farm Stadium (Glendale, Arizona)
4 p.m. | ESPN
Capital One Orange Bowl
No. 5 Texas A&M vs. No. 13 North Carolina
Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida)
8 p.m. | ESPN
Jan. 11
College Football Playoff National Championship Game
Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida)
8 p.m. | ESPN
