Being a Viking fan pays dividends

Fairfax couple wins trip to

Green Bay

By FRITZ BUSCH

Journal Staff Writer

FAIRFAX -- After seeing how dedicated Paul and Velma Haugen are to the Minnesota Vikings, it's only fair that they won the 2002 Purple Pride Contest and a free trip to the Sunday's Vikings-Packers Game in Green Bay.

Velma is busy studying to become a nurse. For a while, it was touch and go about whether she had time to make the 2-day trip. Paul was relieved to learn his wife can join him this weekend.

The Haugens won the all-expense-paid trip after entering photos of their summer wedding with a Viking theme into the contest held this summer at the Vikings Training Camp in Mankato.

For good reason. It would be hard to find fans to match them.

At the Haugen's May wedding in Fairfax, bridesmaids and groomsmen wore Viking jerseys and ball caps. The reception had football designs on the tables. Even the wedding invitations looked like NFL game tickets.

Haugen has been a Viking fan for many years. He loves talking about just about any aspect of the team. The basement bar room includes a 35-inch television with surround sound and many Viking souvenirs including a dancing doll that features the song "Are You Ready For Some Football?" by Hank Williams Junior, blankets, a life-size cardboard cutout of Daunte Culpepper that was used at the reception, jerseys, team photos, bobble heads and purple and gold-painted concrete blocks, Randy Moss' Magic Crunch Cereal (that tastes like Captain Crunch cereal), a barbeque grill shaped like a Viking helmet, among many other things including home-made Viking drink coasters.

Haugen and 10-15 of his friends take turns hosting Viking game gatherings during the season. The Haugens attend two regular season games a year.

He admitted his wife was a Dallas Cowboy fan but he has since converted to a Viking fan. She may not be as big a Viking fan as he is, but then, few people could match his enthusiasm.

Paul hopes it's snowing and cold Sunday in Green Bay in order to create a more traditional December Vikings-Packers game.

They'll get plenty of time to warm-up for the game with a 2 1/2 hour tailgate party prior to the kickoff of Sunday night's nationally-televised game. The couple will spend Sunday night with the team at the Radisson Paper Valley in Appleton, Wis. Monday, they'll ride back to Minnesota with the team.

Paul will be taking souvenirs along, hoping to get Viking autographs. Viking Coach Mike Tice already signed a ticket signifying the couple winning the Purple Pride Contest.

Last summer, they painted their house purple with gold trim.

Paul is thrilled that Sunday is game day.

"I've been waiting six months for this," he said. "I still remember standing at the Vikings summer practice field at Mankato sweating my socks off while we got the award."

Paul said he isn't any less of a Viking fan despite their losing record this year.

"We beat the Packers, the Cheeseheads this year. That's good enough for me," he said.

Deb Tauer of New Ulm -- another well-known Viking fan who lays new tombstones in her yard after Viking wins -- finished second in the Purple Pride Contest. Korey Kettner of Nicollet was third, followed by Patrick Thibault of Minnesota Lake and Bob and Judy Schroeder of Lake Crystal.