Owner Of Evergreen Park's 'Nati House' Has Bedecked His Property In Bengals Flair For Years, And He's Thrilled About The Super Bowl
EVERGREEN PARK, Ill. (CBS) -- Some call it the Bengals house, some call it the Nati house – but whatever you call it, if you're from Evergreen Park, you know exactly what we're talking about.
A fan has gone above and beyond with Cincinnati Bengals decorations for more than 20 years. With the Bengals headed to the Super Bowl, CBS 2's Tim McNicholas caught up with the fan behind the decorations.
The southwest suburbs, of course, are Bears territory – the land of blue and orange.
But on 99th Street, Keith Maciaszek sports a different shade. Maciaszek did not move from Cincinnati or anything like that– he's a true Chicago guy; a graduate of St. Rita High School. So how did he wind up a Bengals fan?
"Well, I went to a game and I just saw how the people were," he said. "They lost the game, but everyone was going home happy."
It was far from the last Bengals loss he'd see. But that hasn't stopped him from decking out his house in black and orange – even during the offseason.
He also decorates his car, and sometimes adds inflatables to the front lawn. After more than 20 years, it's all a neighborhood landmark.
"The guy's stayed faithful," said south suburban resident Donald Brown. "When they were zero and forever, he had Bengals colors."
Brown noted that the Maciaszek's house is known as the "Nati House."
"This is my little man cave," Maciaszek said.
And it was in the Nati house where Maciaszek and his family watched their beloved Bengals clinch a Super Bowl spot. He said tears of joy eventually ruined his face paint.
Luckily, his Bengals tattoos are permanent.
"I'm not used to how I feel now," Maciaszek said. "I'm not used to knowing we're actually going on and people ain't booing – they're actually cheering."
And of course, Maciaszek predicts a Bengals win over the Rams, and if he's right, he already has some plans for how he'll celebrate.
He's going to get a new tattoo of the Super Bowl trophy.
Maciaszek said he is even looking into possibly going to the game. If he can't pull that off, he plans on having a party with every Bengals fan he knows.