Kirkwood to rally for football game

Bloomington will "paint the town red" on Kirkwood Avenue tonight.\nIn an effort to increase student participation and support for the football season, tonight kicks off the first of many Friday night rallies, dubbed "Paint the Town Red," which will overtake the streets of downtown Bloomington before each home game.\nTonight will include appearances by the pep band, cheerleaders and redsteppers. Coach Cam Cameron will also speak in front of the crowd. The festivities will continue with a performance by three-part harmony band Bahama Llamas at 7 p.m. Along with red banners and posters decorating the street, booths will be set up for face-painting, a Wiffle-ball home run derby and Kilroy's pizza. The Hoosier Fanatic will also hand out free t-shirts and footballs, and the voice of IU, Chuck Crabb, will host the rally. \nPlanning for the rallies began five months ago, a collaborative attempt by IU and the community to add more excitement to home football game weekends. Linda Prall, the owner and manager of Kilroy's and Kilroy's Sports, said she is thrilled about the new enthusiasm for the football season. \n"It's not your traditional old fashioned pep rally ' it really is a block party," she said. "And especially with all the construction on Kirkwood this summer, we're looking forward to getting people down there."\nShe added she is expecting a large turnout, and an increase in ticket sales that she hopes will only grow as the season continues.\n"We have a lot of people who say you can't sell more tickets until the team wins more games," she said. "Supporting the team doesn't necessarily have anything to do with winning or losing. This is a Big Ten university ... everyone should be excited and riled up for the game. Our idea was to create other forms of activities surrounding the weekend so there are more things to do and more reasons to come to Bloomington."\nThis is not the first effort by IU to improve student support for athletics. Cornelius Wright, assistant director for Hoosiers for Higher Education, said the last few years have included efforts involving pep rallies at City Hall and a bonfire in Dunn Meadow. But he said he hopes this year will put their efforts over the top.\n"We just tried to expand (school spirit) this year," he said. "Since Kirkwood has been closed all summer, the downtown merchants have decided to have these rallies to try to rebuild the spirit at IU for football. Students go down there anyway, and it's a great place to hold the event."\nBecause of the large anticipated turnout, Kirkwood was chosen as the host of these new block parties. Kirk White, special assistant for external affairs, said he hopes tonight will be the beginning of a long tradition.\n"We want to make sure that the campus and the community together enjoy a great football tradition," he said. "We don't have a lot of traditions associated with football, but we'd like to make (tonight) a warmup as we celebrate IU, alumni returning and students enjoying the athletic competition"