Just outside Gate H at the Metrodome in Minneapolis on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon sat Angie Reed and her boyfriend, Mike Richardson, college students from St. Cloud who'd beaten out several thousand other sports fans as the first in line to receive a tiny square of Teflon-coated fiberglass history.
As a memento of Saturday's reopening, about 3,000 devotees of the big marshmallow that has long been a part of the Minneapolis skyline received a sample of the roof famously deflated by a December blizzard.
Even a couple of confused Green Bay Packers and New York Yankees fans stopped by.
"I know a lot of people don't like the Dome," said the 22-year-old Reed, who was wearing a Minnesota Vikings jersey she's had since she was 10. "It feels like home to me."
For a group predominately made up of football fans, the roof's collapse was symbolic of a lost season that ended with even more salt in the wound when the team from cheese country won the Super Bowl.
Some enjoyed the Vikings' brief shift to the outdoor TCF Stadium, home of the Gophers. But the team's loyal minions are pumped up for a return to the Dome.
"It was devastating when the roof collapsed," said Josh Lynch, a season-ticket-holder from Red Wing, Minn., who is completing a law enforcement degree. "I was afraid the team wouldn't play any more home games last year."
Re-patched roof or not, it was hard for him to contain his enthusiasm for new quarterback Donovan McNabb (good thing insurance covered the $18 million tab for the roof) and the start of a new season. Though Lynch is usually covered in face paint when at the Dome, on Saturday he decided to just go with a military-fatigue-style outfit sporting Vikings colors.
Saturday's open house offered more than just a scrap of the Dome's original 1981 roof. It featured bands, monster trucks, children's games, stadium tours, Dome dogs, Viking cheerleaders and former players.
The new roof definitely made it brighter inside, and fans at upcoming games are sure to notice the new field turf and the dozens of acoustic panels hanging from the center of the stadium.
Linda Swendby, a Dome employee for most of its existence, stood near the front of the line with scrapbook in hand; it included pictures of the old roof. She proudly showed off a picture with Twins pitcher and recent Hall of Famer Bert Blyleven, who she said told her to "get rid of the Packers jacket" she was wearing.
Don Dahler and his wife, one of the few couples not wearing sports attire, decided to drive from Apple Valley to see the new roof and turf. He's not convinced that the team needs to build a new stadium in Arden Hills and appreciates the Dome's longtime role in the community.
"The stadium looks pretty good from the outside after 30 years," he said. "They just have to keep the roof from falling down in the winter."
Not everybody was waxing nostalgic about the Humpty Dome. Margie Imdieke and her daughter planned to head across downtown to Target Field for Saturday evening's Twins game. Chris Jones, wearing Twins garb, looked up at the new roof and announced that outdoor baseball rules.
Bonnie and Greg Vogt, from New Orleans, came to town to see their beloved Yankees dominate the Twins once again. Doesn't really matter what stadium the games take place in, they said. Getting a Dome tour was just a bonus on their trip.
Back at Gate H, Reed and company were about to go inside after waiting for four hours.
"Getting a piece of the Dome -- when is that ever going to happen again?" she said. "It's pretty awesome."
David Chanen • 612-673-4465
