CANTON, Ohio — Football is back with the kickoff of the Hall of Fame game at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium on Thursday night.
For many fans, that means heading back to their seats to watch their favorite team from their home stadium.
But where there’s football, there’s beer— and who delivers that liquid gold?
Why the Beer Guy, of course.
Joe Perkins has been a beer vendor for the last 17 years. He caught the vending bug when he moved to Baltimore and learned all the tricks of the trade from a friend in the business. Perkins and his wife Melissa recently bought an RV and are touring the country, working as independent contractors and selling beer as vendors at stadiums across the country.
“I'm bringing you the stadium beer vending culture of the guy or girl that you see in the aisle during the game with the case of beer,” Perkins said.
His enthusiasm for slinging suds is only surpassed by his fever for meeting fans at the stadiums he’s sold at. He’s worked World Series games and Super Bowls, and his World Series vending jersey is on display at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. He’s also sold beer at NASCAR and other sporting events.
“I'm loving my life right now, traveling full time and truly love working all over the country,” Perkins said.
Perkins and his family are originally from Binghamton, New York, but they kicked off their season-long beer-slinging tour at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton. From here, their road trip will take them to Michigan before they end up in Las Vegas working at the Raiders Allegiant Stadium.
“We're going to travel to take over the world. We're going to bring peace, love and unity,” Perkins said.
Selling beer at the Hall of Fame Game is a bucket list item for Perkins, much like making the trip to the birthplace of football is a must-see for fans. The enshrinement ceremony and celebration bring in fans across the country, and at his core, Perkins is one of those fans.
“I really, I love every team,” Perkins said. “I'm here for the fans as well.”
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