During the fierce, Dallas stadium-packed football game between the Gators and the Wolverines on Saturday, some UF fans opted to spend the day painting ceramic helmets.
Corks and Colors Canvas and Pottery Studio, 3415 W. University Ave., hosted a football helmet painting event, and 20 people attended to celebrate the first football game of the season.
Courtney Mehrlich, a Gainesville resident, cheered on her 3-year-old son as he painted a helmet orange and blue, along with a group of Mehrlich’s friends and their children, from about 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Mehrlich liked that the helmets were $6 to paint, which usually cost $10.
“My son loves football, and he loves the Gators,” said Mehrlich. “It was a little less (money) than normal, which was great.”
Mehrlich said she and her family have painted at Corks and Colors before, and she said it is a very family oriented painting spot.
“It’s great,” she said. “The owner actually tries to get to know her patrons.”
Erika Tonnelier, the owner of Corks and Colors and a UF sociology and sustainability alumna, said her shop is usually open on game days, but this was her first football-themed event. She said she loved seeing her studio filled with young Gator fans and wants to host another event like this again.
“The town bleeds orange and blue,” she said. “And we have so many people who come in all decked out for the game.”
