Shortly after moving to California in 2009, Josh Blissett learned the Auburn family is far-reaching.

Growing up in Alabama, Blissett was often faced with the “Tide or Tigers?” question. But it wasn’t until a college friend of his brought him along for the LSU-Auburn game in 2000 that Blissett, who attended UAB, decided to place his loyalty with the Tigers.

“I’ve been a huge Auburn fan ever since,” Blissett said. “Fell in love with the culture on campus, the Auburn Family and that whole deal.”

Blissett went on to work for hall-of-fame chef Frank Stitt at Birmingham’s Bottega Café, and was eventually pulled out west by California’s wine industry.

Fortunately, when Blissett arrived in the Bay Area in 2009, the NorCal Auburn Club — an official arm of the Auburn Alumni Association — was there to take him in.

Ever since, the NorCal Auburn Club has been Blissett’s refuge on gamedays, which typically hold watch parties hosted at local bars and restaurants.

But when Auburn and Cal announced their home-and-home matchups in 2016, Blissett and the rest of the NorCal Auburn Club knew they’d finally have an opportunity at a gameday experience that didn’t mean watching on television or flying east to see the Tigers in action.

When Blissett began working in club leadership in 2019, he immediately wanted to look towards the Auburn-Cal game, which was initially scheduled for the 2021 and 2022 seasons. However, when Auburn added Penn State to their schedules, the games against Cal were moved back — which only gave Blissett and the NorCal Auburn club more time to prepare.

“Frankly, everything that we’ve been doing since 2019 has been to drive interaction and engagement from a club level so that we had the infrastructure in place for this week and that we could be good hosts,” Blissett said. ”We know a lot of people are coming from the south.”

The NorCal Auburn Club’s full week of Auburn-spirited activities started Thursday with the Tiger Trot 5K run and continues Friday with a Lands End Hike and a bike ride over the Golden Gate Bridge. Signing up for such events benefits the club’s scholarship, which is given to an incoming Auburn freshman from the Northern California area.

The club is also having sponsored Happy Hours on Thursday and Friday night from 6-10 p.m. Thursday’s Happy Hour is being hosted at Mad Oak in Oakland, while Friday’s Happy Hour is being hosted at San Francisco’s Mad Dog in the Fog.

Auburn-themed specialty cocktails that benefit the NorCal Auburn Club’s scholarship will be available at both bars and Aubie the Tiger is slated to make an appearance at Mad Dog in the Fog Friday night.

But even if not with one of the club’s sponsored events, Blissett hopes visiting Auburn fans take this weekend to explore California’s Bay Area — especially considering how rare an Auburn football visit is.

The last time Auburn came to Northern California for a football game was in 1936 when the Tigers came to play the University of Santa Clara Broncos, whose football program has since been nixed.

“We want people to have a really memorable experience in the Bay Area,” Blissett said. “Most of us who live here love it here for a reason. This place is incredible. It’s gorgeous. Yes, it has its problems like any other major city does, but it’s definitely gorgeous.”

The NorCal Auburn Club’s website encourages fans to try to arrive to the Bay Area early or at least stay a few days afterwards to experience all the Bay Area has to offer. That said, Blissett remembers from his time in Alabama that everyone will be eyeing the best tailgate opportunities.

It’s been the No. 1 question he’s been asked as the game approaches, he says.

Unfortunately, Auburn fans might be in, or a bit of a shock come gameday.

“This is not a tailgating culture here,” Blissett said. “It’s not a tailgating campus. It’s built on a mountainside… there’s no 85-acre parking lot where everyone is pulled up with barbeques… It’s not a tailgating culture.”

To cook with an open flame in Berkeley requires a permit, Blissett says.

Instead, Blissett encourages Auburn fans to spend the morning at one of the area’s farmer’s markets.

“But then again, I’m a huge food guy,” Blissett heeds.

Then, as Auburn and Cal’s 7:30 p.m. PT kickoff approaches, Blissett advises that fans hop around some of the local bars. You can find the Club’s full list of suggestions towards the bottom of its gameday guide, though The Tap Haus, Jupiter and Henry’s are among the favorites.

The NorCal Auburn Club’s full guide for this weekend — from club-sponsored events during the week to an Auburn party bus traveling to and from Memorial Stadium — visit here.