ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The community built by Bills Mafia extends across the globe, but sometimes there’s just those special moments when the international fans get to experience the Bills in-person. The Bills Helmet Bar crew, which hail from Georgina, Ontario, made the trek to Western New York recently.

Like so many others around the holidays, a pilgrimage to Highmark Stadium comes with some baggage in tow for some of our Canadian Bills Backers.

“This community was loving it. It was a great opportunity for the Bills to prove themselves on the national stage against Tom Brady’s Patriots,” remarked Blake Parnham, down with the Bills Helmet Bar’s tailgate. “I’m still traumatized by that Sunday night debacle.”

This time around, all Bills fans would have something to revel in, especially those who made their way down from the storied Bills Helmet Bar.

“Orchard Park weekends are so unique because they don’t happen very often for us,” said Parnham, who serves as the face of the Bills Helmet Bar. Along with his father, Rick, Parnham and a score of others, made their way down to Western New York from the Great White North.

“We bought these tickets back in June, not knowing where the Bills would be in late December, not knowing if the division was even going to be in play with how good the Jets and Dolphins were supposed to be,” he said.

Luckily, the Bills were in solid position. The tailgate lot, though, was maybe a bit further than usual.

“It’s a pretty easy commute to get to the game when it’s in your backyard. It’s about 15 steps out the back door,” said Rick Parnham, whose home the Helmet Bar resides at. “Beer’s already cold in the keg fridge.”

But weekends like this get all the Helmet faithful down to the states.

“How do we get the crew down here?” Rick asked. “The smile on our faces is just awesome because the community that’s been built around the Helmet Bar is fantastic,” he followed up with knowing the logistics had worked out for the trip and the large following that joined them.

The community includes regulars like Amanda Alexander and ‘Chef Rob’ Cullen.

“I’ve been a big fan for 30 years. And what? This is incredible. It’s five minutes from my house. I never knew anything about it,” said Cullen, who helps coordinate the Helmet Bar’s menus to represent the competition.

“Living in Keswick, to hear something that’s Buffalo-related near me was like, ‘oh my God, Godsend’,” said Alexander.

The Parnhams have fostered a family that during football season goes to new heights.

“What has actually grown out of this is, we’re a community,” she added. “They’re always there supporting my daughter. They’re supporting their neighbors. And everybody genuinely cares about each other in addition to wanting to have a good game, and the fact that people know about this outside of our little hometown is actually awesome.”

The Bills Helmet Bar extends from a small lake town in Ontario to a lake-effect town a couple miles south of Buffalo and beyond.

“The worries of the week go away. Everything is about the food, the Helmet Bar, hanging out, having a good time and for a few hours the world goes away and we have each other and it is just fantastic,” said Cullen. “No matter when or how many times we’ve been here, it is like coming home.”

That Pats game Blake mentioned earlier? It’s not the only sour memory.

“The last one I was at was the infamous Stevie Johnson dropping the ball against the Steelers,” said Alexander. “So it’s a chance to clear that from my memory and leave tonight with an awesome game, knowing that we’re set for the playoffs. We’re going to keep going with the momentum and just kill it.”

No worries past the half as Buffalo took care of business like they have time and time again this season for their visiting fans.

“This is generational,” said Rick. “This is something that the history books are going to talk about what’s going to happen on that field today. Like, those are the kinds of things that you witness when you watch this team.”

“Minus ten Celsius. I don’t know what that is. Fahrenheit. But the sun is shining,” Blake remarked. “This is this whole community is what the bills are about. And I’m thrilled to just be a little part of it.”