It’s time to dig out the black- and-gold outfits from your dresser drawers and closets.
The eighth annual College Colors Day at MU is Aug. 31, kicking off fall semester and another season of Tiger football.
The nationwide event encourages students, employees and fans of a college or university to don its colors.
Fifty Mizzou departments have signed up to participate, said Linda Gilbert, the MU trademark administrator.
Some departments will decorate their workspace in MU colors, distribute Tiger Stripe ice cream, have a tailgate lunch, and have staff wear the traditional black-and-gold combination.
MU Extension offices in all 114 Missouri counties will decorate their offices with Mizzou colors, Gilbert said.
This year’s College Colors Day is special because of the Tiger football team’s change from the
Big 12 to the Southeastern Conference. In honor of this, MU Bookstore and MU Licensing and Trademark are teaming up to host a new event called “First Friday Fanfest.”
The event is 3–5 p.m. at Kuhlman Court, the grassy area between Ellis Library and the Student Center.
There will be free food such as cotton candy and hotdogs, inflatable games, and appearances by men’s basketball coach Frank Haith and the women’s basketball coach Robin Pingeton.
“It’s all about coming together and getting excited for the new athletic season,” said Michelle Froese, MU Bookstore marketing and public relations manager. “It’s a new conference, and it’s time to show our spirit.”
Also new this year is an ESPN component that turns College Colors Day into a competition. Fans can log onto http://promo.espn.go.com/espn/contests/clc/2012/ and vote for their favorite school. Each visitor can vote for their school once a day, and the winning college or university will be announced on College Colors Day.
An award of $10,000 will go to the general scholarship fund of the winning school.
— Ashley Carman