The Foster Center for Student Innovation will host its first dry tailgate Oct. 17 in celebration of the University of Maine’s 150th Anniversary Homecoming Weekend.
The free event, located at the Foster Center on Long Road, will run from noon until 2 p.m. Although the tailgate is open to all students, Innovation Engineering Outreach Coordinator Angela Marcolini said it is primarily intended for students under the age of 21 and alumni looking for a family-oriented environment.
In hosting the event, the Foster Center hopes to connect current students with alumni while educating all of the guests about innovation.
“The Innovation Center exists to serve students and the UMaine community, so we strive to spread awareness about all the opportunities for both students and alumni,” Marcolini said.
The tailgate will include free grilled food, music and games funded by the Foster Center.
“We initially had thought ‘we’re going to have a big tailgate, we’re going to bring in kegs and all of that,’” Marcolini said. “But, that’s very hard for a department. We would have to go through all of the measures and rope off the area, which isn’t really convenient given the location.”
As UMaine football tailgates are usually 21 and over, this event will be appealing for underclassmen who do not typically have a place to celebrate before games.
Marcolini added that there will be an oversized Jenga set, which the Foster Center is inviting all guests to sign to commemorate Homecoming Weekend for UMaine’s 150th Anniversary.
If the event is successful and well-received, Marcolini said that the Foster Center is willing to consider hosting another dry tailgate before the end of the football season. However, because the first dry tailgate will be in celebration of UMaine’s 150th Anniversary, she added that it will be unlikely that future tailgate celebrations will be of the same caliber.
The tailgate will come before the Black Bears take on the Ivy League conference Yale Bulldogs at Morse Field at 3:30 p.m.
