Turlock crowd gathers to watch hometown hero Kaepernick

TURLOCK -- An enthusiastic crowd gathered at Dust Bowl Brewing Co. to watch hometown hero Colin Kaepernick get his second win as a starter for the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday afternoon.

The Pitman High grad led the team to a 31-21 victory over the Saints in New Orleans.

The restaurant offered a "#7 Kaepernick Special," a burger with grilled onions, pepper jack cheese and a beer, in honor of the occasion.

But Nancy Breeden was too excited to eat much. Now a resident of Seattle, Breeden is from Turlock and returned for the holiday weekend. She's been a 49ers fan "all my life, so 48 years," she said. She sported a Michael Crabtree jersey; she said she had to leave the rest of her gear, which includes boots and a foam finger, at home.

"It's so awesome," she said of Kaepernick's early success starting for the 49ers after taking over for an injured Alex Smith. "I had to take a picture of the sign out front (that advertised the special) and send it to everyone I know."

Many in the crowd cheered loudly when Kaepernick completed two passes to Mario Manningham in the first quarter, then erupted when Kaepernick crossed the goal line for a running touchdown.

Breeden was joined at Dust Bowl by a crowd of family and friends, including firefighter Craig Mintz.

With the family visiting, Mintz said, they decided to watch the game at Dust Bowl.

"It's great, with the hometown kid," he said. "We figured we'd get everybody together."