The Super Bowl is more than just a game for many Americans. It’s “the” game.

To celebrate “the” game, some fans headed to local bars with some buddies, and some, such as Jason Philbrook, traveled a bit farther. He traveled “about 40 minutes” from Belfast to The Sports Arena in Hermon.

“I tried to find somewhere that had a lot of TVs and wide-open space and a lot of people,” said Philbrook, who is a Dallas Cowboys fan, but said he’s cheering for the New England Patriots.

Stockton Springs’ Cliff Brassbridge, who was seated with Philbrook, felt the same way.

“It’s better than sitting at home and falling asleep in a recliner,” said Brassbridge, who was also cheering for the Patriots. “That’s not so much fun.”

Instead of heading to bars, some will host parties at home, but the cleanup can be a bit of a hassle.

“We had 50 people at our house for Christmas and it took us three days to clean up,” added Philbrook. “We didn’t want to do that for the Super Bowl.”

In a sea of Patriots jerseys, only a small crowd of Giants fans could found at the Sports Arena.

“I want it to be all Patriots fans around me,” said Scott Alexander of Brewer, who was sporting an Eli Manning jersey. “It doesn’t bother me at all.”

Another restaurant dominated by Patriots jerseys was the Ground Round in Bangor.

“We’re here because of the giveaways and they have the best potato skins,” said Bangor’s Sherry Perry.

Perry was at a table with Hermon’s Barbie Willigar and Ashley Libby of Bangor, both of whom were wearing Patriots apparel, and Lori Vickers of Bangor, who wasn’t wearing any football gear.

“I’m undercover,” said Vickers, who admitted she was a Giants fan.

Pat Webber and Cathy Webber of Carmel, both Patriots fans, didn’t have on any sports gear, but were having fun nonetheless.

“We didn’t want to stay home alone. It was also my turn to cook,” laughed Pat.

“We’re Patriots fans and wanted to get out and celebrate with other people,” added Cathy.

Celebrating isn’t done by all. Especially those who have to work. Some of the busiest people are those working at pizza places.

“This time of year is normally slow, but with the Super Bowl, it’s busier than a normal Sunday,” said Jason Tocci, the restaurant general manager at Pizza Hut near the Bangor Mall. “We’re about 30 to 40 percent busier.”

Tocci’s Pizza Hut only has dine in and carry out, but Spanky’s Pizza on Main Street in Bangor also delivers.

“It’s been crazy,” said delivery driver Suzanne Laibman. “It’s been very busy since around 5 o’clock. We’ve had mostly advance orders.

“It’s probably three to four times busier than a normal Sunday,” added Laibman. “We have a lot of people working, so it’s not overwhelming.”

The Brewer Fire Department was “pretty much business as usual,” said Captain Brent Melvin.

“We’re not really doing much of anything different. We made a pot of chili, but that’s about it,” said Melvin.

Not even “the” game could change everyone’s plans.

bdnsports@bangordailynews.net

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