August in Cookeville means more than just back-to-school – it also means our annual TTU Pride Days celebration.

ROTC student Kyle Farley shows his TTU Pride.

Running this year from Aug. 20 through Sept. 2, the event welcomes new and returning students to campus while simultaneously offering local businesses opportunities for special, university-related promotions.

“The highlight of this year’s TTU Pride Days will be the Pride Patrol,” says Tracy Black, marketing director.

The university will partner with Clear Channel of Cookeville to send out morning radio personalities who will award prizes to local businesses with storefronts noticeably decked out in purple and gold.

Another way we're promoting Pride Days this year is with a series of colorful billboards located in Cookeville at the corner of Willow Avenue and Broad Street, on Jefferson Avenue near the Cumberland Station shopping center and on Jackson Street.

AWESOME OFFICE CONTEST SET FOR AUG. 24, ENTRY DEADLINE AUG. 18 Since the office you work in is awesome, why not dress it up in its best purple and gold and enter it in the Awesome Office Decorating Contest? Held annually in conjunction with TTU Pride Days, the contest is divided into three categories: * large office, for 10 or more employees * small office, for 10 or fewer employees * door, for any number of employees (but eligible for only one prize). The entry deadline for this year’s contest is Friday, Aug. 18, and judging is set for Thursday, Aug. 24 — just in time to welcome students back to campus for the start of another academic year. Among items in this year’s prize packages are certificates for massages and fitness classes from the Fitness Center, Mary Kay merchandise, a free sitting and photograph from Photo Services, items from the campus bookstore, gift certificates from Chartwell’s campus dining, Cracker Barrel, Dairy Queen, Mauricio’s, Toot’s, O’Charley’s and more. But don’t forget — the contest is meant to demonstrate spirit, not financial resources, so please limit spending to no more than $20 per entry and be creative with readily available resources. For a full list of rules, go to www.tntech.edu/pridedays and click on the Awesome Office link on the left side of the screen. To enter, send an e-mail to Tracey LeFevre at tlefevre by Friday, Aug. 18, and include the following information: name of office, name of contact person, office location, phone number and e-mail address. A reply e-mail will verify your entry.

“The number one purpose of TTU Pride Days is to give students and their families a sense of being welcomed to our community,” Black says. “Our community is one of the key selling points when we talk to prospective students, and students develop good feelings from being welcomed by the people who live here.

“At the same time, we realize those students are economically important and beneficial to our local businesses, so offering those businesses an opportunity to be TTU Pride Partners is a way to recognize that relationship.”

Any business can become a TTU Pride Partner by planning a special promotion or discount or by contacting the university about any TTU specials already offered. Partner promotions and discounts are listed on the Pride Days web site.

Businesses are also encouraged to plan special TTU Pride Days events — such as “welcome back” parties with drawings, door prizes and other incentives — which will be posted online, too.

“Each year, the number of participating area businesses has grown as organizers spread the word that Pride Days offer a chance for businesses to cultivate new customers,” Black says.

Every Pride Partner receives a special decal to place on TTU Pride yard signs or on inside displays to identify their business as a partner to area customers — including the university community, of course.

“The TTU Pride yard signs have become a hot commodity for businesses and other community members who want to show their university spirit,” Black says.

This year’s on-campus distribution locations are the Roaden University Center Information Desk, Hooper Eblen Center Ticket Office, University Bookstore and Alumni Relations Office. Off-campus, they're available at Kroger, Bi-Lo, Regions Bank (W. Broad Street location), First National Bank and First Tennessee Bank (Jefferson Avenue locations), Student Book and Supply, and the Leslie Town Centre Chamber of Commerce.

A list of early TTU Pride Partners is already posted at www.tntech.edu/pridedays.