Tuesday, April 14, 2026:

The morning of the 20th annual Packers Tailgate Tour dawned foggy and chilly, typical for mid-April in Wisconsin. The previous night, severe thunderstorms and heavy rain moved through the area, causing some travel delays for the players and alumni on this year's tour. But it didn't dampen the spirits of the former teammates who were reuniting and the current players who were enjoying their first Tailgate Tour. Joining the tour this year were current players Edgerrin Cooper and Evan Williams along with alumni James Jones, Randall Cobb, Desmond Bishop and Brandon Jackson. All of the alumni are veterans of the Tailgate Tour, with each of them attending during their playing careers and now returning as alumni.

Along with Packers President and CEO Ed Policy, who was embarking on his first-ever Tailgate Tour, they began a five-day journey across Wisconsin and beyond.

The bus traveled down I-43 to the tour's first stop at the Johnsonville Global Headquarters, where Johnsonville employs between 700-800 staff members on-site.

They began with a quick shopping trip at the Johnsonville Marketplace, a store open to the public seven days a week. The group marveled over a Johnsonville sausage grill (molded to the shape of the sausage, no flipping required), discussed the 75 flavors of Johnsonville sausage, and were tempted by a variety of Johnsonville-themed apparel and goodies.

Next, they headed over to a production facility, where they quite literally got to see where the sausage was made. It smelled like the Lambeau Field parking lot on a gameday, with brats smoking in a massive oven before being chilled for packaging.

The guys got to view the production floor from the mezzanine, where they saw employees – members, as Johnsonville calls them – sorting, packing and quality-checking thousands of brats.

A good-natured argument ensued amongst the alumni as to whether or not an (already cooked) brat is fine to eat right out of the packaging, or if it needs to be grilled prior to consumption. The jury is still out.

Following the production tour, the group was welcomed by hundreds of Johnsonville members to the Big Taste Grill, which was grilling up several different flavors of Johnsonville's finest. It felt like a classic tailgate, complete with cornhole, pictures with the Johnsonville Racing Sausages, music and of course, Johnsonville brats on Sheboygan hard rolls.

Brandon Koehler, director of operations at Johnsonville, said the event was a perfect example of how Johnsonville treats its employees.

"We really like to give back, take care of our team and our members," said Koehler. "Food brings people together. Just like the Packers on Sunday. They bring people together."

Next, the group journeyed further south to Port Washington High School, home of the Pirates. The group entered the auditorium to a welcome that rivaled Lambeau Field on a gameday, with raucous cheers and high-fives. The guys took their place on the stage and spoke about overcoming adversity and the importance of being a good teammate.

Jackson led a "Go Pack Go" chant and kicked off the discussion, and Cobb offered some wisdom to the students, reminding them that learning and leadership starts with whom you follow. "You'll discover that there's people that you should follow and people that maybe you shouldn't. It's about being able to figure that out," Cobb said. "Who is going to help you in that path to get to who you're going to become?"

After tossing some footballs and shirts into the crowd and presenting the athletic director with a $2,500 check for the Pirates' athletic program, the tour headed to lunch, just around the corner at Fork & Tap restaurant.

Kicking off the afternoon, the bus traveled south of Milwaukee to Sturtevant, home of Case IH manufacturing facility. A global leader in agricultural equipment, supporting farmers across Wisconsin and beyond, they are most known for manufacturing and assembling tractors.

Entering the plant, the group was fitted with vests, goggles, and hats before touring the assembly floor.

The plant builds eight or nine tractors every day, with each tractor retailing up to $800,000 each.

Comfort level with the functionality of a tractor varied among the group, with Williams remarking, "What does a tractor do exactly?" while Edgerrin Cooper was ready to take one of the rigs home with him.

At the Racine Experience Center, Kurt Coffey, head of Case IH, got a chance to welcome the tour group and show appreciation to his employees while the guys got to climb into a tractor for a photo. Cowboy Coop looked pretty comfortable behind the wheel, so much so that the staff at Case IH decided to track down some keys to give him a joyride, along with Jones.

It was clear the employees at Case IH, who take a lot of pride in their craftsmanship and the quality of their products, enjoyed seeing the guys get so fired up.

"More smiles, more excitement, true fans building amazing product here in Racine," said Coffey. "But then seeing some of these heroes show up and actually drive our equipment is really rewarding here at Case IH."

The evening activities got underway a few hours later, with a venue change due to the ongoing stormy forecast. Despite the weather, there was lots of excited energy inside the Racine YMCA, where the guys participated in a fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity of Racine and Kenosha counties.

During a moderated Q&A session, a Habitat for Humanity volunteer asked the guys not only about their time with the Packers but their experiences as homeowners.

Jones in particular had a lot to share, reflecting on his own experience growing up without a stable home to call his own, a perspective that led him to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity himself.

"To see what Habitat does to put a roof over families' heads and to be a part of that really means something to me," Jones said. "It's important, so kudos to the volunteers and the donors here tonight."

Grant Buenger, CEO at Habitat for Humanity of Racine and Kenosha Counties, said the funds raised at the event will go toward multiple housing projects across Racine and Kenosha.

"We've got five projects that are starting this spring and what's raised from tonight will probably go right into the construction costs for those houses," Buenger said.

He said the event was the perfect way to celebrate and recognize an important cause.

"It's a lot of fun, we get to see everybody come together to meet the Packers, to have an experience that they wouldn't be able to have other than at Lambeau, and to support affordable housing in our community at the same time," Buenger said.