MC Sports Fans Can Show Blue-and-Gold Spirit during Choctaw Fanfare
After Mississippi College’s freshmen, new transfer, and returning students have settled into their residence halls for the 2022-23 academic year during Move-in Day, the bucolic Quad in the heart of the Clinton campus will be transformed by cheerleaders, band members, the MC dance team, and Blue and Gold student-athletes from all varsity sports into the quintessential Choctaws fan experience.
Whether they live and die with every MC contest or merely follow the athletic teams from afar, every member of the MC Family will find plenty to spark their rooting interests for the upcoming season during the annual Choctaw Fanfare, scheduled from 5-7 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 17.
Sports fans young and old will have the opportunity to meet the MC student-athletes who compete in the Division II Gulf South Conference, visit with the coaches and administrators who assembled the talented Choctaws squads and rub elbows with alumni and fellow fans who “bleed” Blue and Gold while cheering on the football squad during its Choctaw Walk through the Quad.
The event will include plenty of photo opportunities, and everyone in attendance will receive a special gift, enjoy a delicious meal, and have an opportunity to compete in various outdoor games. Tents set up by members of MC’s social clubs and tribes, athletic teams, alumni, parents, and other organizations will dot the Quad’s landscape, while upbeat music will help complete the fanfare’s ultimate tailgating atmosphere.
The evening will culminate with a Choctaws football scrimmage in Robinson-Hale Stadium, where gridiron fans will have an opportunity to make plenty of noise and show their true Mississippi College spirit.
“Choctaw Fanfare is a great time for alumni and parents to celebrate the kick-off of the new year,” said Chad Phillips, MC associate director for alumni and parent engagement. “We look forward to celebrating our new students and parents as they arrive on campus.”
Chip Wilson, associate director of student engagement, concurred.
“Choctaw Fanfare is a fun way to incorporate parents and new students as well as the student-athletes into the MC community,” Wilson said. “It helps put a name to a face for each of the MC teams as the campus comes out and supports the Choctaws.”
Blake Weir, assistant director of athletic communication, said Choctaw Fanfare brings a spirit of community to MC faculty, staff, students, and residents of Clinton.
“Fanfare provides the opportunity for the community to be in fellowship with our student-athletes for a night of fun and games with one another,” Weir said. “What a better way to show support by getting to know your student-athletes and gathering together in the community?”
Created to bring the MC Family together in support of new students, returning students, student-athletes, and alumni as one collective group, Choctaw Fanfare has grown each year until it ultimately moved to the Quad in 2021. A fitting start to Welcome Week on the Clinton campus, Choctaw Fanfare also serves as a farewell event for parents leaving their students in MC’s care.
As part of a new tradition at MC, new students will file through the University’s legendary gates on College Street in a custom that bookmarks the institution’s Central Ceremony, in which graduating students recess back through the same gates to signify the completion of their educational journey at MC.
“Administration, Alumni, Athletics, Student Engagement, and the Office of Marketing and Communication come together to plan, engage, and execute an event that will lay the foundation for the connectivity of student-athletes and the general student body – as well as students with the campus as a whole – all while building school spirit,” said Lori Bobo, university events coordinator.
As far as Weir is concerned, the best part of Choctaw Fanfare is the fellowship it provides.
“I enjoy watching fans get to talk with the student-athletes and learn each other’s stories,” Weir said. “It is a special moment to be a part of, and I encourage everyone to come out and fellowship with everyone this year.”
Choctaw Fanfare tickets cost $12 each or $6 each for children ages 5-12. To purchase tickets, visit go.mc.edu/register/fanfare2022. For more information about Choctaw Fanfare, email Bobo at lbobo@mc.edu.
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