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Celebrate NC Ag Day

What better way to celebrate North Carolina agriculture than with a plate of barbecue, a scoop of NC State’s famous Howling Cow ice cream and a stroll through exhibits and activities that showcase North Carolina’s nearly $80 billion agriculture and agribusiness industry?

On Saturday, Oct. 3, the CALS family will gather to do just that.

Before the Wolfpack take on the Louisville Cardinals, the College will host its 24th annual Tailgate event, chock-full of family activities, music, food and visits from NC State mascots Mr. and Mrs. Wuf.

The event will take place in two locations: The free experience, featuring CALS exhibits and entertainment, will be held outside at the east side entrance of PNC Arena. The paid experience – which is sold out – includes a traditional Tailgate meal (barbeque and all the fixings), sponsor exhibits, entertainment and giveaways. It will take place upstairs in the club level of PNC Arena.

CALS Tailgate will be held in conjunction with the third annual Ag Day, which is hosted in partnership by NC State Athletics, Wolfpack Sports Properties and CALS.

“Through NC State’s Ag Day, we’re proud to honor those individuals who dedicate their lives to improve the health and economy of our state – on and off the farm,” said Dr. Richard Linton, dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Ag Day festivities will begin Thurs., Oct. 1, with a student event on campus, and culminate on Sat., Oct. 3, at Carter-Finley Stadium. Making its debut on Oct. 1 is an Ag Day kickoff for students, to be held at Wolf Plaza near the Talley Student Center on campus. The event will feature complimentary Howling Cow ice cream and a pre-release of the official Ag Day T-shirts. On Oct. 3, the Fan Zone outside PNC arena will host family-friendly interactive sponsor exhibits, agriculture machinery displays and a photo booth.

During the game, an undergraduate student will be recognized on field as the inaugural recipient of the Ag Day Scholarship. In addition to this annual scholarship, an endowment was introduced during the 2014 event that will leave a lasting legacy for this significant partnership. Throughout the course of the game, individuals involved in the North Carolina agriculture industry will be featured in video board segments.

“The agriculture industry plays a significant role in the state of North Carolina, and we are proud to honor this industry once again this year,” said NC State head football coach Dave Doeren. “Ag Day has become one of our signature events, and I expect it to be even bigger this season.”

For more information on CALS Tailgate, visit go.ncsu.edu/CALS_Tailgate. For more information about Ag Day, visit GoPack.com/AgDay.

To purchase a CALS T-shirt, which features a unique student design that celebrates agriculture and is made in North Carolina with cotton grown by North Carolina farmers, visit go.ncsu.edu/calstshirt. Proceeds from the T-shirt sales will benefit the CALS Alumni Enhancement Fund Scholarship.

Join the conversation: #NCStateAgDay