Metroplex To Become Hub Of Aggie Activity For 2011 Southwest Classic
Thousands of Texas A&M University students and fans will travel to the Metroplex this weekend for the Southwest Classic, when the No. 13 Aggies take on the No. 18 Arkansas Razorbacks Saturday (Oct. 1) at Cowboys Stadium.
Although Aggie football will be the weekend’s main attraction, various other events are planned, beginning Friday afternoon and continuing until Saturday’s kickoff, marking a weekend full of Aggie-oriented activities.
Fans and supporters can start their visit to the DFW area by stopping at the Aggie Fan Marketplace, which will be open from 1:30-4:30 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. – noon Saturday at the Arlington Convention Center. The marketplace will feature Aggie merchandise from the Federation of Texas A&M University Mothers’ Clubs, Apple, the Texas A&M Bookstore, Texas A&M University Press and more, as well as information booths staffed by personnel from the Texas A&M Career Center and Prospective Student Center.
Aggie golfers can also participate in the Texas A&M Invitational Golf Tournament, which supports fellowships, scholarships and research programs at the university. Registration will begin at 11:30 a.m. Friday at Bear Creek Golf Course in Irving; tournament play will begin at 1:30 p.m. To register for the golf tournament as a sponsor or player, visit the invitational’s website. Additional rules and details about the tournament can be found here.
The Association of Former Students, the 12th Man Foundation and Texas A&M University will greet fans at the Aggie Welcome Reception from 6-7:30 p.m. Friday at the Arlington Convention Center. Texas A&M representatives as well as North Texas elected officials will be on hand to deliver brief welcome addresses, and the winners from the golf tournament will be recognized. Tickets to the reception can be purchased here.
Parking is available for all events at the Arlington Convention Center for $5 a day.
The celebrations will continue Friday evening with All Aggie Hullabaloo, an event sponsored by The Association of Former Students and the 12th Man Foundation featuring Aggie performing artist Robert Earl Keen ’78. Tickets for Keen’s concert at Billy Bob’s, a legendary country and western club that bills itself as “the world’s largest honky tonk,” can be purchased here.
Keen’s concert will culminate in Midnight Yell Practice — the Aggies’ traditional pregame late-night warm-up that brings thousands of the university’s students, former students and supporters together — which will be held at the Fort Worth Stockyards.
A pregame celebration at the Arlington Convention Center will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday; brunch will be served, and those interested in attending must RSVP online by Wednesday (Sept. 28).
Due to an early kickoff time, the Corps of Cadets will no longer march this weekend as initially planned; however, the entire corps, including the Fightin’ Texas Aggie band, will be in attendance at the game.
For the most current information about the Southwest Classic and more details about the weekend’s events, visit the event’s official website here.
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Media contact: Krista Smith, News & Information Services, at (979) 845-4645
