New Jersey Eagles fans preserve "Snoquon" the Snowman for good luck in Super Bowl LIX
Not many reminders of "Old Man Winter" are sticking around in Millville, New Jersey. While it's certainly a gloomy Friday, it is a different story inside the Sooy house. They are a group of jolly, happy, Eagles-loving souls without question.
Every Eagles game, a group of fans flock together flying from house to house to watch their Birds. They've been doing it for years.
Millville Mayor Benjamin Romanik's been along for the ride.
"I call myself 'Ben 'Birdgang' Romanik.' I am the 'COO of Hosting Operations' here in South Jersey. It goes through all family and family friends," Romanik said.
The list of traditions, or maybe superstitions, is long.
"High five for field goal. Two high fives for touchdowns. 55 points that's a lot of standing and walking," Romanik said.
Green grass outside was hard to come by during the playoffs here, so naturally one of these diehard fans built a snowman and decked it out in green.
"He's magical. We have to keep his hat on because that's the secret," the group said.
Some may call him Frosty the Snowman, but the Sooy's put an Eagles spin on this.
"My daughter came out, Jamie and she saw him and said, 'Oh my God!' You just made 'Snoquon Barkley,' " Jane Sooy said.
"Snoquon" stuck around for the playoff run and was even rebuilt after melting. When it came to the Super Bowl, the group decided they had to save him. That's where this superstition thing flies to a new level.
"They ended up getting it into the barrel — our keg barrel — they put it in there, they put it into Ben's truck, we went over to Cody's and put it in the freezer," Sooy said.
Days later, the group went to check on the snowman in the hunting freezer.
With a corncob pipe, button nose and an Eagles beanie worn at the parade down Broad Street, Snoquon is literally chilling before the big game Friday afternoon. There are even buckets of snow nearby just in case he needs a little help.
"It's a little different but we're all good with it. It's weird, it's crazy, but it's Philly. It's us. It's the Eagles," Sooy said.
The gameplan now, according to Sooy and the group: "Oh, he's coming back. Even if he's a snowball, he's coming back."
Come Super Bowl Sunday, Snoquon will leave the freezer and come right back to the same spot he once stood.
"I think the Eagles are definitely going to win and I think Snoquon Barkley is there to help," Romanik said.
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