Get ready for Colorado State University Ag Day

Mark the calendar, and get your tickets now!

Ag Day 2011 will be a memorable 30th anniversary event preceding the CSU Rams’ home-opener football game on Saturday, Sept. 10. The event will feature special entertainment, game-day friendship and, as always, a delicious sampling of Colorado-grown food.

Ag Day, hosted by the College of Agricultural Sciences and the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, is an annual feast that attracts up to 3,500 people and spotlights Colorado fare – in many cases, commodities that have blossomed with help from agricultural research at Colorado State.

This year, the feast will be served from 9:30-11:30 a.m. Sept. 10 on the south side of Hughes Stadium off Overland Trail in Fort Collins.

Ag Day will precede the home-opener football game pitting the CSU Rams and the University of Northern Colorado Bears. Game kickoff is set for noon.

The match-up is sure to make Ag Day a hot ticket for northern Colorado, so it’s apt that Sept. 10 will be an “orange out” for CSU. That means fans and players will sport CSU’s original Aggie colors – pumpkin orange and alfalfa green.

The game-day spirit befits the purpose of Ag Day: Since its inception, the event has raised money for scholarships granted to deserving students in the College of Agricultural Sciences.

Each year, Ag Day proceeds contribute to between 12 and 15 student scholarships amounting to $2,000 each. Add it up, and that’s a significant amount of educational benefit. Since 2000 alone, Ag Day has funded more than 125 scholarships totaling more than $225,000 for agricultural students.

“My family is a middle-class family and has found it difficult to support my education to reach my lifelong goals, which is why I am deeply grateful for the gift that helps students like me reach their goals in agriculture,” said student Kaitlin Wright, who is pursuing a double major in animal science and equine science.

Dennis Lamm, Ag Day coordinator, is encouraging all Ag Day scholarship recipients, past and present, to attend the 30th anniversary event.

Scholarship recipients and longtime Ag Day supporters will be among those offered special thanks during the Ag Day stage program.

Trent Loos, a Nebraska-based radio personality who broadcasts a program called “Rural Route,” will be the day’s emcee; he revels in celebrating rural America. Bob Purcell and the Outriders, a country-western band from the Greeley area, also will entertain the crowd.

Plan to pull up a straw bale beneath the iconic Aggie “A” on the Foothills and enjoy a good meal and some anniversary fun – all in the name of helping to educate CSU students while celebrating the bounty of Colorado agriculture.

In keeping with tradition, the College of Agricultural Sciences will host an Ag Day Kickoff reception from 5:30-8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9, at C.B. & Potts Restaurant & Brewery at the Collindale Golf Course, 1441 E. Horsetooth Road, Fort Collins. Those attending will hear from college Dean Craig Beyrouty, a member of the Ag Day committee, and a CSU football coach. Cost is $10; food is included, and a cash bar will be available. RSVP by calling (970) 491-4601.

Can’t make it to Ag Day, but still want to support scholarships? That’s easy. To make a donation directly to the Ag Day Scholarship Program, visit the online giving page at https://advancing.colostate.edu/AGDAY.

Tickets and lodging:
• Cost for Ag Day tickets purchased online is $15 for meal only, or $35.50 for meal and football ticket (Handling fees apply)
• Buy Ag Day tickets online at www.csuagday.com
• Buy tickets in person beginning Aug. 29 in the Ag Day ticket office, 127A Shepardson Building on the CSU campus. Cost for tickets purchased in person is $16.50 for meal only, or $37 for meal and football ticket (Cash or check only)
• For information, call (970) 491-6497 (Ticket orders cannot be taken at this number)
• The Hilton Fort Collins is the exclusive Ag Day hotel and is offering special nightly rates for people attending the event: $99 for standard rooms and $119 for king-deluxe mountain view rooms. The Hilton is on the south side of the CSU campus at 425 W. Prospect Road. Reserve rooms by Aug. 18 to take advantage of the special rates. To reserve, call (970) 482-2626; ask for the CSU Ag Day rate, or reserve a room by going to http://www.hilton.com/en/hi/groups/personalized/F/FNLCOHF-MAD-20110909/index.jhtml?WT.mc_id=POG
• Follow Ag Day developments on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/coloradostateuniversity – search for "Ag Day at Colorado State University."

-30-