8
Friday, October 29, 1999
Tar Heel Town Offers Fans Pregame Activities
Bv Brent Kinker
Staff Writer
Two and a half hours before every
UNC home game, a raucous crowd
takes over Polk Place. Painted faces, live
bands and even a goat become part of
the scenery.
This is the phenomenon called Tar
Heel Town, which has now been hyping
up UNC fans for three years.
“This year it is bigger, and we’ve had
greater turnouts,” said Trish McHardy, a
special events operations manager for
Tar Heel Town.
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“People are coming from the com
munity to hang out even if they don’t
plan on attending the game.”
Each week Tar Heel Town is different,
with new clubs and organizations solic
iting memberships and contributing to
the spirited atmosphere.
“We had the rowing crew here a cou
ple of weeks ago,” McHardy said. “That
was a great time.”
“Each Tar Heel Town has a different
theme,” she said. “This week will be
kind of a family day. We’re hoping some
kids will come wearing Halloween cos
tumes.”
Out & About
Although it’s a nonalcoholic event,
sometimes dancing breaks out at Tar
Heel Town.
“We have students out there dancing
sometimes,” McHardy said. “Once a
more mature crowd even started to
swing. We definitely encourage
dancing.”
“We have concessions, a radar pitch
and a blow-up playpen for kids,”
McHardy said.
“We have been trying to get some
University singing groups to come out,”
McHardy said. “We’ve already talked
with the Harmonics, Loreleis and the
Tar Heel Voices.”
It begins at 11 a.m. and lasts till 12:30
p.m. so the fans can fill the stadium.
At the end of Tar Heel Town, the
UNC football players are unloaded in
front of the Bell Tower for everyone to
cheer. Then they walk down Stadium
Drive to Kenan Stadium as the band
lines up and plays for them.
“It really hypes up the crowd,” said
Alona Kalin, a clarinet player for the
band. “People seem to really enjoy the
band.”
The General Alumni Association also
arranges to have Rameses, UNC’s mas
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cot, brought in from the Hogan Farm so
it can graze among its loyal followers.
Sky Blue the Clown gratuitously
paints faces for anyone who desires it
said Stephanie Miller, a coordinator for
the General Alumni Association.
“Tar Heel Town is great, it’s fantastic,”
said Steve Kirschner the director of
media for UNC football and basketball.
“We’ve always wanted a place like
this for pregame activities,” Kirschner
said. “The campus is really spread out
and this helps gather the fans in one
place. It also helps pack the stadium
before the kickoff.”