Volume 93
the Prairie
Issue II
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Tri-State Fair returns to Amarillo Free admission for students Sept. 23 DAVID MERAZ Staff Writer
I
t is almost that time of the year again; the Tri-State Fair & Rodeo will be making its annual stop in Amarillo starting September 17 through the 25th. The mission of Amarillo TriState Exposition is to provide an educational, cultural and recreational experience for area citizens. The fair is a place for people of all ages to enjoy some relaxation and some fun. “We always try to target families,” Angela Ragland, Sponsorship and Marketing Director said. “We expect Dance Heads to be the hit of the fair as well as our great concert lineup.”
Dance Heads is one of the new attractions at the fair this year. It is similar to karaoke except there is no singing required. Choose a song, smile and bob your head to the beat. WTAMU Ag Graduate Program will have presentations and displays that promote positive aspects of the agricultural industry. Other new attractions at the fair this fall include a petting zoo, pig races and camel rides provided by Hedrick’s Promotions Inc. Food at the fair is something for people to enjoy. Main dishes include sandwiches, burgers, corn dogs, turkey legs, tacos and many more. “I cannot wait for the fair to open,” senior, Sociology major, Brant Nelson said. “There’s too many too choose from,
but Cheese on a Stick and Fried Sneakers are some of my favorites.” The fair is a good place for people to hang out with friends and family. Especially with the late hours the fair is open. Junior, Graphic Designer, Taylor Meyer enjoys going to the fair to hang out with friends. “The fair is a good place to hang out with friends in a different environment,” Meyer said. “We like the fair food and watching the different kinds of people and the things they do.” Friday, September 17 is opening night and admission is half price all night. College night is Thursday, September 23, students show ID and admission is free all day, which includes gate admission, rodeo and the concert.
FRANKIE SANCHEZ / FILE PHOTO
The Ferris wheel is a place for people to congregate and enjoy the view of the fair.
iWeek aims to get students involved, informed CECILE CHARLES Staff Writer
T
his year’s freshmen have been told over and over how important it is to get involved on campus. That it helps students stay in school, it helps them have higher grades, and that they will have a much better over-all college experience. However, upper class men may not have had this same lecture. So for them (and freshmen too) iWeek has been created. Don Albrecht, Vice President of Student Affairs, first approached Skip Chisum, Director of the Jack B. Kelley Student Center, and Amber Black, Manager of Student Success Center, during
the spring, asking them to put together a week of organizations and offices that would help students feel more comfortable at WTAMU. Out of this came Involvement Week, or iWeek. “It’s important that students realize that every day is different,” Black said. The purpose of Monday’s fair, iSucceed, was to inform students about the academic and health services WT provides. The second day, iBelong, is a way for students to connect with social groups on campus. iCare, on Wednesday, is a volunteer fair. Students led organizations from the WT campus, as well as Amarillo and Canyon groups will inform students of the many
ways they can help others in the area. Then, closing out the week is the iBelieve fair on Thursday. This fair will have faith based organizations that are run from the campus. Each day, the fair will begin at 9 a.m. and end sometime around 1 p.m. Three fairs (iSucceed, iCare, and iBelieve) will be held inside the JBK. iBelong, however, will be too large to fit in the JBK, and will be moved to the Pedestrian Mall just outside of the JBK. At the entrance of each fair, there will be a main booth set up that will be worked by CORE office employees. This booth will have a place for students to swipe in with their Buffalo Gold Cards and enter themselves in a drawing for
Apple products. “If you bring your Buff Gold Card and swipe it every day, you’ll be in the drawing for an iPad, an iTouch, and a couple of iPods,” Chisum said. “But, if you come all four days, then your name is in the drawing four times.” In addition to the iWeek fair, different departments will have booths set up outside of their main offices on Monday. This was added for students, such as nursing or engineering majors, whose departmental building is not located close to the JBK so that they can still see what organizations their own department sponsors. “We’re trying to get those organizations that are specifics to departments,”
Black said. “We want them to participate and have a table set up to try to say, ‘Hey, biology majors. We’re right here outside of your class and we have a club that we’d like you to get involved in. So, we’re hoping that it will be a different way to reach some students who may not be walking through the JBK during the fair.” Students are highly encouraged to actively participate in this fair, exchanging information with groups that interest them and to just ask questions. For more information about iWeek, students can visit the University’s website at www. wtamu.edu/student-support/ iweek.aspx, or ask anyone wearing a white iWeek shirt.