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"  When the summer days are shortening, the air has cooled, and the weather is so crisp that you can stay outdoors for hours, nothing beats a tailgate\u2014a party held near the trunk of a vehicle\u2014its &amp;quot;tailgate.&amp;quot; Usually, a spectator event follows a tailgate (a football game, a concert). The purpose of a tailgate is, of course, to have a good time, but also to bring friends together who may be sitting in different sections for the game, or who may not even have tickets. Tailgaters enjoy food, drinks, and lawn games until the main event starts. But if you have held a tailgate or two, you may know their secret: a good tailgate is better than the game. Here are five tips for throwing a seamless tailgate: 1. Cook most of the food beforehand. At a tailgate, there&amp;#039;s no need to fret over grilling peppers, making drinks, or fiddling with Sterno and food trays. Char those peppers the day before. If you will be serving drinks, consider Sangria, a crowd pleaser that can be made ahead and that actually deepens in flavor after sitting overnight. Of course, burgers and sausages are best cooked onsite, and a grill goes a long way towards bringing tailgaters together and maybe even starting a conversation with the neighbors (see #5). Even if you&amp;#039;ll be grilling, you can make plenty of sides ahead of time: pasta salad, bean dip, potato salad, coleslaw, and so on. 2. Park near a landmark. &amp;quot;Where are you parked?&amp;quot; can be a tricky question to answer when a friend is looking for your tailgate, especially if you happen to be parked in a field or a huge lot filled with cars. Park next to a landmark and your tailgate will be easier for guests to find. At one stadium, I often tailgate near a towering elm, the only tree in the area. Guests spot the tree and quickly find the tailgate.  3. Be ready for rain. Many tailgaters are rain-or-shine. Even if you aren&amp;#039;t, there&amp;#039;s always a chance that dark clouds will sweep in and you&amp;#039;ll be stuck in the rain. Pack raincoats, sneakers, and a waterproof canopy. During a tailgate I once got caught, wearing a t-shirt and sandals, in a rainstorm that turned the grass lot into mud. Be prepared and you&amp;#039;ll stay dry for the tailgate and the game. 4. Remember the essentials. Lawn games such as bean bags and ladder golf are made for tailgating, and are better still when a grill is sizzling nearby. Pack a football to throw around before a football game, gloves and a baseball before a night at the ballpark. More than anything, a tailgate needs fold-up chairs. You&amp;#039;ll be standing for a while, and even the most energetic grill master and most avid lawn-gamer will need to sit after a day outside. Pack plenty of cheap fold-up chairs knowing they could get dirty.  5. Get to know the neighbors. If you&amp;#039;ve got games, food, and a hot grill, chances are the neighbors in the next parking spot will be friendly. Say hello and get to know them, especially if you&amp;#039;re rooting for the same team. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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