ST. GEORGE – “Celebration of ‘D’ Century” serves as the theme for Dixie State College of Utah’s annual second homecoming known as D-Week, which will run from April 11-16, with various activities and events held on and around the DSC campus.
D-Week’s roots can be traced as far back as 1914, three years after the college’s founding, as a chance for college alumni, students, and faculty and staff, as well as the community, to come together in a reunion setting for a week of activities.
The full slate of the Centennial D-Week events begins on Monday, April 11, with a D-Week kick-off activity from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., featuring music and free food, along with decorations and displays on the Diagonal and various areas throughout campus. On Tuesday, April 12, the annual D-Queen Pageant will be held in the Eccles Fine Arts Center Mainstage Theater. General admission tickets for the pageant are on sale now for $5 at the DSC Avenna Center ticket office. For tickets or further information, call 435-652-7800 or visit tickets.dixie.edu.
Wednesday’s festivities include the “Party with the Prez” grand opening for the new Dixie Pavilion, located on the east side of campus in between the Udvar-Hazy Business Building and the new sand volleyball courts. The “Party” begins at 7 p.m., and will include free food, music, dancing and a free outdoor movie presentation of the feature film “Hairspray” at dusk.
To many, however, D-Week’s signature event is the Great Race, which will take place Friday, April 15, at 6 p.m., followed by a free BBQ and carnival at the DSC’s Hansen Stadium beginning at 7 p.m. All DSC students, faculty and staff, and the community are invited to participate in the Great Race, carnival and concert festivities. For more information on the Great Race or to enter a team, contact the DSC Alumni Office at 435-652-7535.
Due to the start of construction for the new Jeffrey R. Holland Centennial Commons Building, the starting point for the Great Race has moved to Hansen Stadium. Nearly 30 ten-member teams comprised of DSC alumni, students, and faculty and staff will relay their way across campus by foot, mountain bike, roller blades, water, mud and more.
The inaugural Great Race occurred in 1971, but it origins can be traced back as early as 1964, as a bicycle race around the Black Hill near the airport. The first official Great Race included such events as motocross, horseback riding, and tubing down the Virgin River. Community growth and safety concerns eventually forced the race to the friendly confines of the DSC campus. In addition to the traditional running, biking, and swimming, Great Racers now have to negotiate, among other things, a slip n’ slide track, a roller blade course, a Dixie trivia question, and a mud pit throughout the 10-leg relay course.
D-Week wraps up with a busy day of events on Saturday, April 16, beginning with the annual tradition of whitewashing the ‘D’ on Black Hill, which includes a pancake breakfast provided by the DSC Alumni Association, at 7 a.m.
Then at 7 p.m., the DSC Alumni Association will host an “Evening of Dixie,” which will take those in attendance on a fun look back at the 100-year history of Dixie, featuring the Raging Red Show Choir, former members of Dixie College’s Program Bureau. The “Evening of Dixie” is a free event that will begin at 7 p.m., at the Eccles Fine Arts Center, followed by an Alumni Social at the Sears Art Museum Gallery at 8 p.m.
The D-Day Dance will wrap up the festivities later that evening at 9 p.m., in the Gardner Center Ballroom, followed by the annual “True Rebel Night” event held at midnight at the fountain. Tickets for the D-Day Dance are available at the door for $5 per couple, or $10 for single attendees.
Community members are invited to attend all D-Week activities. For more information, contact the DSC Director of Student Activities Donna Stafford at 435-652-7513 or at [email protected].
Great Race relay legs:
2011 Great Race
Leg 1: RUN one and one-half times around the Hansen Stadium Track
Leg 2: BASE RUN after baseball bat spin (Cooper Diamonds)
Leg 3: ROLLER BLADE one-half mile to Nisson Towers basketball court
Leg 4: BASKETBALL SHOOT after 20 push-ups
Leg 5: MOUNTAIN BIKE one mile through campus and back to Hansen Stadium
Leg 6: DIXIE TRIVIA QUESTION at Hansen Stadium, then sprint to swimming pool
Leg 7: SWIM one lap while sitting or laying in an inner tube
Leg 8: MUD PIT, 30 yards through mud and water (by Udvar-Hazy Business Building)
Leg 9: SLIDE PULL, sprint back to Stadium, slide down slip and slide, rope pull rest of way
Leg 10: RUN TO FINISH, ¾ lap at Hansen Stadium track.