PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers fans were pumped and full of adrenaline as they layered up and made their way to the North Shore to cheer on the black and gold in one of the coldest and maybe windiest games yet.
Fans were determined to wave the Terrible Towel as the Steelers faced off against the Cincinnati Bengals at Acrisure Stadium Saturday night.
“The true die-hards come out,” said Jennifer Piper of Rochester, N.Y. “This is super cold, but we don’t care.”
Hats and gloves were flying off the racks for vendors, including Pittsburgh Souvenir Company.
“It’s very cold out here,” said Kevin Felter, a Pittsburgh Souvenir Company worker. “They feel like they brought enough layers, but they definitely didn’t, so they come here, grab whatever they need and they’re good to go.”
Even before the 8 p.m. kick-off, wind chills made the temperatures feel like single digits.
“We’ve got toe warmers, hand warmers; we’ve got electric gloves, electric socks, jackets,” Piper said. “We’re ready, and it’s the energy that keeps us warm anyway. We’re not even drinking. It’s too cold to drink.”
That wasn’t the case for many fans.
Tailgaters filled the parking lot starting at 3 in the afternoon. Many people were doing their best to stay warm hours before game time.
Channel 11 saw lots of space heaters and some fires.
“I left the house and said, ‘It’s kind of cold out. We need a fire,’” said Pete Rech of Jefferson Hills. “We’ll stay warm and hope for the best.”
Paul Aldenbaugh of O’Hara Township wore a heated jacket under his jersey.
“Feel it,” Aldenbaugh said. “[Heated] in the hood, everywhere.”
Others waved terrible towels to keep the blood flowing.
Two parking lot attendants said moving around helps. They’re used to being out in the cold for hours on end.
“We got booths over there and they’re warm so we can go in the booths,” said Andre Woods with Alco Parking. “We can go in the truck but the booths, they got the heaters in them, so we’re good.
Channel 11′s Antoinette DelBel asked, “How often can you break away?”
“Not much,” said Rob Gierke with Alco Parking. “We got to wear layers, two jackets and snow pants. My toes are cold but I’m alright.”
The frigid temps aren’t going away anytime soon. They’ll be sticking around for the next few days.
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