IU readies for day in the (fair) sun

IU will showcase its talents and celebrate its commitment to Indiana at the 150th Indiana State Fair. Although activities, exhibits, giveaways and performances on IU Boulevard will give the University a daily presence, IU will be celebrated Thursday during IU Day at the State Fair. \nExpo Hall Street at the Indiana State fairgrounds in Indianapolis will be lined with more than 60 hands-on booths from the University. There will be 'Red Hot' giveaways, parades, pep rallies and performances. Presenters are scheduled to include the Jacobs School of Music, the School of Informatics, the School of Dentistry, the School of Medicine and several departments from the College of Arts and Sciences. IUPUI and the other regional campuses will also participate. \n"IU needed a presence at the State Fair," said Lisa Townsend of the IU Office of University Marketing. "It is a great venue for reaching the Hoosier public. We have lots and lots of great things planned." \nThe fair will celebrate its 150th anniversary with a preview concert Tuesday on the Grandstand Stage. The IU Summer Music Festival Jazz Orchestra, directed by IU director of jazz studies, David N. Baker, will perform at 6:30 p.m. The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and five-time Grammy winner Sandi Patty will also perform. A complimentary concert admission ticket is available on the Web site www.in.gov/statefair/fair/entertain/sandipatty.pdf. \nThe music school will present classical, jazz, rhythm and blues musical performances throughout IU Day on the Home and Family Arts Building Stage and the Jack FM stage. \nThe IU-Purdue University at Indianapolis Music Academy will offer a "musical petting zoo" at which a range of popular instruments will be available for visitors to try for themselves. \n"People will be able to get information about the Music Academy and the different instruments," said Jennifer Clark, senior administrative assistant at the academy. \nThe IUPUI School of Science will offer an interactive forensic science investigation. Visitors will be able to participate in a game called "If the Shoe Fits" to compare shoe prints from a mock crime scene, said Jennifer Boehm, IUPUI director of community relations. IUPUI offers the state's first and only bachelor's degree in forensic and investigative sciences.\nThe School of Dentistry will bring Seal Indiana, a mobile dental program, to IU Day. The School of Medicine will provide health information and give iPods to the winners of a health quiz contest. IU technology experts will provide online security advice. \nThe nightly 6:30 p.m. fair parade will be led by IU Thursday. \n"All IU students, alumni and fans are invited to join us in the parade," Townsend said. "If they're wearing their IU garb, they can line up at the swine barn beginning at 5:30 (p.m.)." \nIU Day would not be complete without an IU pep rally with football coach Terry Hoeppner. Joining the IU football coach will be the winner of the Miss IU and Miss Indiana pageants, graduate student Betsy Uschkrat. The IU Marching Hundred and the IU and IUPUI cheerleading squads will also be present. Three pep rallies are scheduled for 11:30 a.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m Thursday. \n"As Hoosiers, we all take pride in the Indiana State Fair," IU President Adam Herbert said in a press release. "It reminds us of so many things that make our state such a terrific place to live and work. I urge all Hoosiers, and especially our alumni, students and their families, to attend the fair on this special day to see all that Indiana University has to offer." \nThe Indiana State Fair will run from Tuesday through August 20 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis. For more information and a complete schedule for IU Day at the State Fair, visit its website at www.indiana.edu/~fair/.