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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Fans To Invade Beale Street On Memphis Gameday
8/28/2009 | Football
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Ole Miss fans will paint Beale Steet Red and Blue on Sept. 6, as a parade and pep rally for the Rebels will begin at 11 a.m., before the team takes the field against the Memphis Tigers at 2:30 p.m. at the Liberty Bowl.
The festivities will include Ole Miss' "Pride of the South" Marching Band, Cheerleaders and Rebelettes, as well as the Beale Street Flippers, who just returned from television appearances on NBC's America's Got Talent.
The parade route will run from Beale Street/Fourth Street westward to Beale Street/Second Street, and the pep rally will be held in front of B.B. King's Blues Club. Bus service after the pep rally to the Liberty Bowl and back to Beale Street will be $6 per person.
"Ole Miss fans and Beale Street are a perfect combination, and we are thrilled to be part of this event", said Amanda Hoppert, Ole Miss Coordinator of Athletics Spirit Groups.
"We are very excited to return to downtown Memphis where so many great Ole Miss pep rallies have occurred over the years", said David Willson, director of the "Pride of the South" Band.
The planning for this event began several months ago when Memphian and Ole Miss alumnus Tommy Peters invited officers of the Rebel Club of Memphis to discuss the possibilities of a parade and pep rally on Beale Street.
"For many years, Ole Miss fans have had pre-game events around Memphis, and the night Tommy shared his ideas about having one place for all Rebel fans to gather, the planning began," said Paul Pennebaker, President of the Rebel Club of Memphis.
Meetings were held with Ole Miss, the Beale Street Merchants Association, the Shelby County Sherriff's Department, Memphis Area Transit Authority and the Memphis Police Department during the various planning stages of the events.
"Once the Ole Miss fans started hearing about the Ole Miss events on Beale, it was just a matter of standing back and watching the excitement build,"said Paul Gould, President-Elect of the Rebel Club of Memphis.
"Many people would think that it would be hard to work with so many different groups, but everyone has been excited about making these events happen," Pennebaker said. "It is an exciting time for Ole Miss fans and we want Rebel fans of all ages to come to Beale Street and enjoy the fellowship, the parade, and the pep rally."
The Rebel Club of Memphis will also host an event on Sept. 3 at 6 p.m. at the Memphis Botanic Garden with social activities, a silent auction and a presentation by Chuck Rounsaville of the Ole Miss Spirit. The event is open to the public and tickets can be purchased at the door.
Vist RebelClubofMemphis.com for additional information on Ole Miss game related activities in Memphis.
