17th GorillaFest kicks off Saturday

  Friday, September 5, 2014 2:00 AM
  News

Pittsburg, KS

The 17th season of GorillaFest, a free community tailgate party before each home PSU football game, begins at 4 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 6, on the east side of Pittsburg State University’s Carnie Smith Stadium.

Jon Bartlow, director of alumni and constituent relations, said the event has become a big part of game day and a point around which alumni gather.

“We have a lot of alumni who plan months in advance for those days in the fall when they will share a tailgate party with friends and classmates,” Bartlow said.

GorillaFest was launched in 1998 after campus officials surveyed a number of successful pre-game tailgating events at large universities.

“We wanted to make sure we did this right,” said James AuBuchon, who was vice president for university advancement at the time. “We studied some other programs that were successful and we set out to develop an event that was uniquely Pittsburg State’s”

Saturday’s GorillaFest will include free games for kids, hair painting, face tattoos, prizes and live music from Conway Jackson. Student groups will have PSU merchandise for sale and several food vendors will offer a variety of tailgate menus. A highlight of every GorillaFest is the pep rally led by the Pride of the Plains Marching Band. That takes place approximately 50 minutes before kickoff, which is at 7 p.m.

GorillaFest takes place in Gorilla Village, east of the stadium and south of the Brown parking lot.