A drumline entertains a crowd of people, vendors host cornhole games and prize wheels, food trucks with everything from hot dogs to cheesecake on a stick. From the red t-shirts, red hats and red sunburns after the football game, these are all staples of Get the Red Out at the University of Central Missouri. 

  The annual street fair before UCM’s first home game of the year has brought thousands of people to campus, from locals to hardcore Mules Football fans to university alumni. 

  “Get the Red Out is very much a collaboration between the university and the community and our Chamber of Commerce in Warrensburg,” University President Roger Best said. “The notion is to help out our local community and also give our community members a place to come, hang out and have a good time with each other and celebrate our first home football game of the season.”

  The street fair started at 4 p.m. and featured 141 different vendors. One booth featured handmade tie-dye t-shirts designed by students in the fashion program at UCM. 

  “We’re just hoping to get our program more out there,” junior Aubrey Summers said. “We did our tie-dye t-shirts specifically for Get the Red Out. We have our Fashion Business Council and our Fashion Business Association, they work together hand in hand to put together the booth. Fashion merchandising is just a chance for you to get to showcase your creativity.”

  Although the first home football game of the season would start at 7 p.m., the community experience of the street fair is what many people came to Get the Red Out 2022 for. 

  “We’re just taking a stroll now,” School Chair and Safety Professor Leigh Ann Blunt said, alongside her husband Troy.

  “We just like to see everybody in the community,” Troy said. “We came down to Get the Red Out through all the years of raising our kids in the Warrensburg community.”

  Of course, many students joined the local community and school organizations in celebrating the event. Most students said this year was significantly better than Get the Red Out 2021.

  “It’s pretty fun and interactive,” Madi Gipperich said, “I think there’s a pretty good turnout compared to last year. It was dead.” 

  “I think it’s fun that we get to see all the different clubs and activities that are around campus that, some of them, we didn’t even know about,” Lainey Blount said. “Last year we went, it wasn’t as many people, it was a lot of students but there wasn’t a lot of community.”

  “I’m excited to see lots of normalcy again,” Icil Gittings said. “Even though last year was supposed to be normal, it just wasn’t. This year feels a lot more normal.”