Among the cactus and gravel landscaping just north of Downtown Phoenix, sits an unlikely hotbed of Patriots fanatics.
On Saturday, they came together at their hangout, Toso's Sports Bar & Grill to take part in a pre-Super Bowl party.
The New England Patriots Fan Club of Arizona is about 300 members strong, with some coming from more than an hour away in the Arizona desert every Sunday to watch their beloved team. This Sunday will be no different.
"In past Super Bowls, everyone goes to their own private parties, but, the Patriots are in it, we're at our sports club bar," said David Charron, who moved to Arizona from Plainville, Massachusetts 20 years ago. He now lives in Glendale, just block from where the Pats will take on the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX.
On Saturday, members of the club were joined at Toso's by other New Englanders, including some from Connecticut, who made the trip to the Phoenix area for the big game. Some came down without tickets
"Still looking for tickets. We're going to wait it out," said Mike Langlois, of Cromwell. "We're not going to do anything crazy like spend $6,000 or $7,000 on a ticket, but I'd be happy to spend $1,500 or $2,000."
The gathering on Saturday included games, raffles, music and even an appearance by the Patriots cheerleaders.
Sports
The club has been in existence in one form or another for about 30 years. The current members have been gathering at Toso's for the past five years. It's the perfect place for the Patriots fans, since the bar's owner is a Bloomfield native.
