In the mud across from Jack Trice Stadium, thousands gather near their cars to eat burnt hot dogs and drink cheap beer. They sit outside in the cold, playing funny games with beanbags. They wear ridiculous hats. A bizarre blend of Tupac and AM radio can be heard over a drunken rendition of the ISU fight song.

They lounge in lawn chairs, sit in the mud and stand triumphantly on the hoods of cars. They are here to tailgate.

The vehicle plays an integral role in the tailgating experience — and it shows. Normal, everyday family minivans have been transformed into party machines. Pickup truck beds are filled with barbecue supplies. Hand-painted banners are taped to windows. Back seats are stocked with cases of beer.

And then there are the buses. A few dozen of these giant novelties, kings of tailgating, stand towering over the partiers. Most of them are old school shuttles, gutted and repainted. Their insides, long void of schoolchildren, are filled with mini-refrigerators, TVs and old couches.

One bus, however, exemplifies tailgating. A purple behemoth, affectionately named Team N.A.D. (Not Against Drinking), has been modified with a handmade drink-mixing machine.

Jay Lueck started construction on the machine, which he named the Lazy Drinker, in 1995. The first model was limited to just beer, but today the Lazy Drinker has the capability to mix 2,000 different drinks — all at the push of a button.

The contraption can hold 16 bottles of liquor and mixers at a time. A series of pumps, valves and hoses measures and mixes the ingredients automatically. The whole system is hardwired to a laptop computer that uses software Lueck wrote specifically for the machine.

Lueck, a 1993 graduate in art and design, said he got the idea for the Lazy Drinker about nine years ago while living in Phoenix.

Lueck rigged the prototype for the Lazy Drinker out of an old toy train and a remote control. The elementary model was limited to shuttling beer from the cooler to the pool.

Then somebody wanted a mixed drink. Lueck started shopping around the Internet for the parts he would need to build the machine. Special automatic shutoff valves with measuring capabilities came from California. Other special parts came from Colorado. Eventually, Lueck wrote user-friendly software that powered the Lazy Drinker. The software allows the user to select a drink from a menu of more than 2,000 choices.

After making a selection, the machine comes to life; the hum of a small motor, the hiss of pressurized liquor.

Presto! A precise measurement of each ingredient swirls down an inverted plastic two-liter bottle and into an awaiting cup. The whole process is concealed by a particleboard case. The project cost Lueck about $400 — not including the cost of the laptop, carbon dioxide tanks and booze.

He decided to incorporate the Lazy Drinker into the Team N.A.D. tailgating bus last year. Lueck, who tailgated at every home game since moving back to Iowa in 1997, said he thought the Lazy Drinker would be a better fit at the football games rather than pool-side.

Lueck estimates the Lazy Drinker serves a few hundred drinks each year — most of which are consumed by Team N.A.D., Lueck’s drinking buddies from RAGBRAI.

Rod Brewster, co-pilot of the Team N.A.D. bus, said he is plenty glad the Lazy Drinker has become part of the tailgating tradition.

“It was a great idea. We get a lot of curious people who want to see how it works,” he said.

By word of mouth, the legend of the Lazy Drinker spread amongst tailgaters. At every game this season, Lueck said, a crowd formed to see the Lazy Drinker in action.

Brian Buck, sophomore in graphic design and friend of Lueck, said it’s people like Lueck who make tailgating fun.

“I love it,” Buck said of the Lazy Drinker. “It brings people together.”

Despite the controversy, a terrible football team, and bitter-cold weather, tailgating has endured. A few feet from the Lazy Drinker, a group of students stood reflecting on a long season.

“Tailgating is the only good thing left about ISU football,” said Luke Ferden, senior in management and information systems. “I’ve been tailgating for four years and I’ll always support the team — from the parking lot.”

Mina Rotschafer, senior in child, adult and family services, agreed that tailgating would continue to be an ISU tradition.

“No matter what, we’ll always be together,” she said.

No matter if it’s on pavement or mud, a block from the stadium or a mile, with a winning team or a losing one, a warm Busch Light or a fine mixed drink courtesy of the Lazy Drinker, tailgating will endure.