Game day festivities to celebrate heritage
By Kyle Wittenbraker
Staff Reporter

TCU will celebrate Western Heritage Day as part of the TCU-Cincinnati game day festivities with live music, luncheon, contests, exhibitions and giveaways Saturday.

The TCU athletics department, Ranch Management Program and Score A Goal in the Classroom have teamed together to organize the event. Score A Goal in the Classroom is a non-profit organization that honors teachers and encourages children to raise their grades.

“Western Heritage Day is an idea that we came up with a couple of years ago,” said Kevin O’Connell, associate athletics director. “This year we took it to a new level.”

A stage is being built in the south end zone for the Grammy-Award Winning Light Crust Doughboys to perform, O’Connell said. Stages are being set up in Frog Alley and the west side of the stadium for various performances throughout the day. A cutting horse exhibition will be in a constructed corral that is 80 feet in diameter, he said.

“The whole idea is to create a festive, fair-type atmosphere,” O’Connell said.

More than 480 businesses will have displays and booths at Western Heritage Day, said Ernie Horn, executive director of Score A Goal in the Classroom.

Score A Goal in the Classroom officials will also announce the winner of the 40,000 entries for the Cotton-Eyed Frog art contest Saturday. The contest had children draw their interpretation of what a Cotton-Eyed Frog would look like, he said.

“We partner with TCU to raise awareness of how vital TCU is to our community,” Horn said. “TCU is a wonderful destination to come to.”

At 11:30 a.m. Saturday, a luncheon catered by Reata will honor both Bill Mack, the “midnight cowboy” and songwriter for Willie Nelson, and James Link, winner of the Ranch Management Outstanding Alumni award, Horn said. Bryan Vasseur, director of the Institute of Ranch Management, said a committee of alumni selected Link from a list of 47 outstanding alumni. Link is the first recipient of the award, which is intended to be given annually.

Bill Mack, a famous Country-Western disc jockey, will receive the Country Legend Award, O’Connell said.

“He’s legendary within the ranks of the Country Western field,” O’Connell said.

The Ranch Management Program has sent a brochure to all of its alumni inviting them to the game and Western Heritage Day, Vasseur said. The program’s alumni association has about 1,300 members and expects 150 alumni to attend the game.

Chancellor Victor Boschini will hand out purple T-shirts to the first 2,000 students. Purple bandanas will be given to the first 15,000 fans who arrive at the game, O’Connell said.

Two radio stations, 95.9 The Ranch and 96.3 KSCS, will have remote setups on Frog Alley.