COOKEVILLE, Tenn. (Aug. 30, 2006) – Five area businesses on Tuesday were the targets of a local patrol — the Tennessee Tech University and Cookeville Clear Channel Pride Patrol.

A featured promotion of this year’s TTU Pride Days, which run through Sept. 2, the Pride Patrol teamed the university with Magic 98.5 FM to award prize baskets to local businesses that were noticeably decked out in the traditional university colors of purple and gold.

Those businesses were Kroger, Toot’s, Community Bank of the Cumberlands 10th Street branch, First National Bank of Tennessee Jefferson Avenue branch and the Chop Shop.

“The purpose of the Pride Patrol is to recognize some of the local businesses that are really showing their TTU Pride in creative ways,” said Tracy Black, TTU marketing director. “We want to encourage an even greater level of community involvement, and we anticipate even more friendly competition for next year’s prize packages.”

Black said she was impressed with the level of creativity shown by the winning businesses.

“Each one was unique, but they were all equally impressive,” she said.

Kroger, for instance, built a large, eye-catching display of the TTU logo from soft drink cartons, and Toot’s made an effort to include university memorabilia — such as flags, jerseys and pennants — throughout the restaurant.

Both banks decorated their lobbies in TTU colors. Decorations at Community Bank of the Cumberlands featured columns wrapped in purple and gold, while First National Bank of Tennessee used window paint to draw a cartoon replica of a TTU football player and other university symbols.

The Chop Shop, a new hair salon located near the university, decorated its front window in purple and gold, and stylists even wore TTU T-shirts and purple and gold bead necklaces.

Each prize package included four tickets to the TTU-UT Chattanooga football game on Thursday, Aug. 31. Other items include TTU pompoms, plastic drinking glasses, letter openers, key chains, luggage tags, decals and stickers, pens and notepads, combination locks and more.

First National Bank of Tennessee employees, left, Julie Massa and Thomas Lynn are awarded a prize package.	Toot's Bonnie Wegerbauer gets a prize basket.
Community Bank of the Cumberlands employees, from left, Peggy Birdwell, Carolyn Chaffin and Donna Robinson accept a prize package.	A prize basket also goes to Brittany Tayes, left, and Tiffany Shelby at the Chop Shop.

--Tracey LeFevre
This information posted 30 August 2006