Stuff the Bus and Meet the Mocs at Chattanooga Market

Stop at UTC's Bid Day before heading to Chattanooga Market on Sunday

photo Fiona Leitch hands United Way staff member Ryan Fugate donations of school supplies at a previous United Way of Greater Chattanooga's Stuff the Bus fundraiser at the Chattanooga Market.

There's a lot happening downtown on Reggie White Boulevard this Sunday morning, Aug. 17.

Chattanooga Market is hosting the Stuff the Bus campaign for United Way of Greater Chattanooga. United Way's big, yellow school bus will be parked outside the stadium from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. so marketgoers may drop off school supplies on their way into First Tennessee Pavilion.

IF YOU GO¦ What: Live United Day at Chattanooga Market.¦ When: 11 a.m-4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 17.¦ Where: First Tennessee Pavilion, 1829 Reggie White Blvd.¦ Admission: Free.¦ Phone: 423-648-2496.¦ Website: www.ChattanoogaMarket.com.

Earlier, on the opposite side of the plaza in Finley Stadium, a new tradition is launching for UTC sororities. Bid Day - for more than 45 years known as "Running Out the Doors" of Patten Chapel - is moving to Finley Stadium to accommodate the growth of UTC's sororities.

MEET THE MOCS SCHEDULE11 a.m.-2 p.m. Men's and women's golf, wrestling, volleyballNoon-2 p.m. Men's basketball1-3 p.m. Football1-4 p.m. Spirit and dance2-4 p.m. Women's tennis, track/cross-country, soft-ball, women's basketball

Bid Day is expected to conclude by 11:30. In the meantime, Chattanooga Market will begin Meet the Mocs appearances by players and coaches from the football, basketball, tennis, golf, wrestling and cheer teams. Fans can get autographs and photographs with the student athletes on "Chattanooga's Team."

Visitors to Chattanooga Market also will find more than 150 vendors of fresh produce, meats and cheeses, along with original arts and crafts. Charles Butler & Associates, a Nashville band whose sound is described as "instrumental progressive bluegrass," will entertain beginning at 12:30 p.m. Jeff Miller, who has drawn comparisons to Keith Urban and Don Henley, will perform at 2 p.m.

Kelley Nave, United Way of Greater Chattanooga public relations director, says United Way has set a goal of collecting $30,000 worth of school supplies Sunday, topping last year's collection of $28,000. All school supplies donated by marketgoers are given to the Hamilton County Council of PTA's Teacher Supply Depot, which allows Hamilton County schoolteachers to "shop" for free for needed supplies in their classrooms.

ABOUT UTC SORORITY BID DAYA 45-year tradition comes to an end on Sunday, Aug. 17, when the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga moves its annual Sorority Bid Day from the Patten Chapel quadrangle to Finley Stadium. With six sorority chapters on campus, the crowd of people attending has outgrown the quad."Our Greek community has grown tremendously so Patten Chapel was no longer an option," says Justin Pohl, assistant dean of students at UTC. "Our fraternities did this last year, so the women are moving to Finley this year."Bid Day culminates recruitment week by National Panhellenic chapters on the UTC campus. Pohl says potential new members, formerly known as rushees, will arrive at the stadium at 9:30 a.m. to receive bids; the six sororities will start their spirit chants on the field by 10:30 a.m. Girls receiving bids will run from Finley's locker-room tunnel onto the field to the waiting arms of their new sisters starting at 11 a.m.With about 300 girls anticipating bids, Pohl expects the run to take about 30 minutes.Spectators and alumnae of the six sororities on campus are invited to watch Bid Day. Gates to the north grandstands at Finley Stadium will be open."Any guests can either be on the field or in the stands. I recommend the stands because they will get a much better view," he says.

"The PTA did a survey of teachers and came up with the 50 most-needed items in the classroom. No. 1 was copy paper," says Nave.

Close behind on the list were yellow pencils that are not plastic-coated, composition books, spiral-bound notebooks, glue sticks, colored construction paper, erasers, rulers, scissors, staplers, pocket folders, manila folders, Crayola crayons in 16-count boxes, ring binders and loose-bound ruled notebook paper to fit those ringed binders.

United Way volunteers will be on hand to accept school supply donations whether it be one pack of pencils or bags of supplies. Everything is needed, says Nave.

"Sunday is about sharing the Live United experience with the community," she says, "so we will have nine of our United Way community partners there whose work focuses on youth."

For example, the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts will each have an activity going on, Signal Centers will host children's face painting and the Bookmark Fairy will be on hand to encourage reading.

Nave says parents also can enroll children under the age of 5 for free books and learning checkups. Every child who completes a learning checkup at Chattanooga Market on Sunday will receive, by mail, a voucher for a free family pass to the Creative Discovery Museum.

Contact Susan Pierce at spierce@timesfree press.com or 423-757-6284.

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