2009 KICK-OFF THE SEASON in the Gardens

Thousands of Razorback fans turned out for the Inaugural KICK-OFF THE SEASON in the Gardens, presented by Bank of the Ozarks and hosted by the NWA Razorback Club, the NWA Chapter of the Arkansas Alumni Association and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority on Saturday, August 22nd.

The weather was perfect... bright blue sky and 78 degrees. There were lots of smiles on kid's faces as they got their faces painted, tried the numerous inflatables and games in the Kids and Sports Zones and got their pictures taken with Tusk, the cheerleaders, Miss U of A or their favorite Razorback football player.

Adult Razorback fans "salivated" over Hogzilla motorcycle (shown below) and remembered the times that Hog Helmet (also shown below) used to roam the field at Razorback games.

Local band Big Uns entertained the crowd for most of the afternoon, while participants ate the food/drinks they brought or purchased from vendors like TGI Friday's, Whole Hog Cafe, Sodexo, Papa John's, Swirl and Shakes.

A pep rally with the U of A band, cheerleaders, pom squad and mascots got the crowd going at 2:30. And since Coach Petrino couldn't join us at the last minute, Chris Wyrick, Senior Associate Athletic Director for External Affairs filled in. The 2009 coaches/football team then arrived at 3:00 to sign autographs. The line for coach Petrino having started at least 1 1/2 hours earlier.

Toby Pearson and his daughter, from Siloam Springs won the Hog Calling Contest winning two Georgia game tickets. Due to the lack of "humans" in wild Hog attire (we had at least expected some body paint!) Daisy Mae (shown below) won two Georgia game tickets for her owners Jamie and Kim Green from Fayetteville for the best pet Hog attire. The free drawing for a Razorback fan pack was won by Sandy Ward of Fayetteville. And the Coach Petrino autographed football was won by Allen Miller of Uniontown.

All in all, it was a great afternoon for Razorback fans to help kick-off the 2009 season.

2009 Kick-Off the Season Flyer

KICK-OFF THE SEASON Special Edition_2009

Come join us in August, 2010...

GO HOGS!