Sept. 7 Gobblerfest showcases campus, community activities
Gobblerfest, Virginia Tech’s annual rain-or-shine festival welcoming students back to campus, will be held Friday, Sept. 7, from 4 to 8 p.m. on the Drillfield, and will be followed by a barbecue at 8 p.m. and a movie on the Drillfield at 9 p.m. The festival is free and open to the public.
The date and location are a break in tradition for Gobblerfest. The festival’s new Drillfield location is a change from its previous location outside Squires Student Center, due to the construction on College Avenue in downtown Blacksburg.
Gobblerfest will maintain many of the same features, including student organization information booths designed to educate students and the community about the many different ways to get involved and make friends at Virginia Tech. With its new, larger location on the Drillfield, there will be more space to accommodate additional organizations this year, as well more booths featuring university departments and local businesses.
Gobblerfest is hosted by Student Centers and Activities, a unit within the Division of Student Affairs. It was first conceived in the fall of 2008 as a welcome festival for students, staff, faculty, and members of the Blacksburg community. In just four years, this event has become a highlight of the start of the academic year.
For more information on Gobblerfest, stay tuned to the event website. Organizations, departments, and businesses interested in participating in this year’s Gobblerfest can register on the festival website through Aug. 31. Those interested in sponsoring Gobblerfest should contact Sandy Broughton.
Prior to 5 p.m., free parking is available for the Drillfield in the Perry Street Lots and the Perry Street Parking Garage near Prices Fork Road with a visitor’s pass. A visitor’s pass may be obtained Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Visitor Information Center, located at 965 Prices Fork Road, near the intersection of Prices Fork and University City Boulevard next to the Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center. A visitor’s pass may also be obtained from the Virginia Tech Police Station, located on Sterrett Drive, outside of the Visitor Information Center hours.
Free parking is available after 5 p.m. around the Drillfield with a visitor’s pass from 5 to 8 p.m. No pass is necessary on the Drillfield after 8 p.m. or on weekends. Parking is also available in the Perry Street Lots and the Perry Street Parking Garage near Prices Fork Road.
Find more parking information online or call 540-231-3200.
Written by Jennifer Gibson.
