No one can accuse Whitehall Public Library of being late to the party -- tailgating party, that is.

With the Pittsburgh Steelers' regular season set to begin Sept. 9, a dozen or so fans gathered Monday in the Community Room to get in the mood with a tailgating party. Fans brought snacks, drinks -- no beer, though -- and relived the team's most recent glory: the 2005 season and the Feb. 5, 2006, victory in Super Bowl XL.

That year, the AFC champion Steelers defeated NFC champion Seattle Seahawks 21-10. It was the Steelers' celebrated and long anticipated "One for the Thumb" -- the fifth Super Bowl, and ring -- for the home team.

Monday local fans anticipated more Steelers glory, even if the partying was done without grilled kielbasa and a fan from an opposing team to heckle.

This first-of-its-kind library event was the brainchild of adult programmer Susan Mahoney.

It wasn't a stretch of her imagination: "I love the Steelers," she said.

A life-size blow-up of a Steelers player stood guard outside the library entrance, and black and gold streamers waved over the doorway. Iconic commentator Myron Cope's "terrible towels" were draped from a wide screen showing reruns of games against the Indianapolis Colts, Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks.

Fans watched the commercial-free fourth quarters of the championship games, and the entire Super Bowl, as called by the home radio broadcast team of Bill Hillgrove and Tunch Ilkin.

In the crowd: Bud Recktenwald, 65, of Whitehall, in his signature Steelers sneakers and his black and gold cap made with clapping, mechanical gold hands.

Mr. Recktenwald's black-and-gold-decorated car and some of his legendary game-day wear are enshrined in the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum in the Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh History Center.

Joe Mahoney, 49, of Baldwin, who works for Whitehall's Public Works Department, wore his No. 7 Ben Roethlisberger jersey.

Everybody knew the final scores to the games they were watching, but still there was emotion.

"Do you believe we lived through this?" asked Mr. Mahoney's wife, Susan Mahoney, as Jerome Bettis eked out a first down by inches with the Colts game on the line and less than five minutes remaining.

His infamous fumble, which nearly cost the Steelers the game if not for the even-more-infamous "the tackle" by Ben Roethlisberger, set the faithful to screaming -- and squirming -- again.

"I got nervous all over again," said Cassie Rusnak, 17, of Baldwin Borough.

Fellow Baldwin High School students, Zach Aaron, 16, of Whitehall, and Amer Mujkic, 16, of Whitehall, found solace in the snack table.

"I still can't believe Jerome fumbled," said Amer who, after coming to Pittsburgh from Bosnia in 1998, lost no time in joining the Steeler Nation.

For Jean Fuchs, 70, of Whitehall, revisiting the Road to the Super Bowl was like stepping back in time to midwinter 2006, when she donned her Steelers gear and she and her friends watched the games on her 60-inch television.

"It's just as scary as it was then. It's like a shadow in your memory. This brings it back,'' she said.

Gini Burns, 71, of Whitehall, said the South Hills library tailgating combined the best of two worlds.

"I love the Steelers. I love the library," said the Whitehall woman, who wore a shirt featuring Michelangelo's masterful image of the Hand of God giving life to man.

Only on this shirt were the words of what had to be a Steelers fan: "On the 7th Day ... Let There Be Ben."