The Orangemaners
The Orangemaners love to tell the story of how they came to own their signature vehicle: Steve Fesch and his right-hand man, Scott Sanders, who had been tailgating at Broncos games for years, planned to charter a bus to Canton, Ohio, for John Elway's 2004 Hall of Fame induction. The charter never happened, but the tag team decided to find a bus they could use for home tailgates at Invesco Field. Out popped up an old Greyhound motor coach for sale. "We were pulling out combs, hair and coins from when people were riding this thing in the '80s," Fesch says. "It already had 930,000 miles on it!" With help from 10 longtime friends, including main architect Reed Shaw, the Orangemaners stripped down and rebuilt the ride, from woodwork to flooring. They began renovating on July 9, 2004, and finished Orange Force One in time for the first game of the season. Well, just about. "Guys were still putting in screws that morning," says Fesch, adding that he has plans to build more tailgate vehicles. "Finally I'm like, 'Fellas, let's just roll.' " They've been rocking ever since from Lot CR-V, space #31, in the shadows of Invesco. "I used to be that guy that would miss the full experience of tailgating," says Fesch. "It's fulfilling for me that we've provided a fun place for people like myself."
-Jared Zwerling
The Orangemaners love to tell the story of how they came to own their signature vehicle: Steve Fesch and his right-hand man, Scott Sanders, who had been tailgating at Broncos games for years, planned to charter a bus to Canton, Ohio, for John Elway's 2004 Hall of Fame induction. The charter never happened, but the tag team decided to find a bus they could use for home tailgates at Invesco Field. Out popped up an old Greyhound motor coach for sale. "We were pulling out combs, hair and coins from when people were riding this thing in the '80s," Fesch says. "It already had 930,000 miles on it!" With help from 10 longtime friends, including main architect Reed Shaw, the Orangemaners stripped down and rebuilt the ride, from woodwork to flooring. They began renovating on July 9, 2004, and finished Orange Force One in time for the first game of the season. Well, just about. "Guys were still putting in screws that morning," says Fesch, adding that he has plans to build more tailgate vehicles. "Finally I'm like, 'Fellas, let's just roll.' " They've been rocking ever since from Lot CR-V, space #31, in the shadows of Invesco. "I used to be that guy that would miss the full experience of tailgating," says Fesch. "It's fulfilling for me that we've provided a fun place for people like myself."
-Jared Zwerling
