Students, friends, family and alumni of the UW-Madison community are preparing to celebrate the last Badger Bash tailgate at Union South before the Badger football match against California Polytechnic Saturday.
Badger Bash will move to Engineering Mall for upcoming football seasons during the construction of the new south campus student union, which will open in the spring of 2011.
The opening of the building will mark a new beginning for Badger Bash, as the celebration will take place on one of its outside decks.
According to Marc Kennedy, director of communications for the Wisconsin Union, the space at the new union will be a welcoming place for Badger Bash to occur in the future.
He said the new location is conducive for large gatherings because it is comparable to a natural, outside amphitheater with plenty of outdoor seating.
With the Badgers' final home football game of the 2008-'09 school year, Saturday's Badger Bash will provide more than its usual great food, cold beverages, live-game coverage and trademark University of Wisconsin Marching Band performance.
According to Kennedy, Band Director Mike Leckrone has some surprises in store for attendees of the celebration.
It should be a lot of fun,"" Kennedy said.
For many, the Badger Bash tailgate has provided countless memories and irreplaceable experiences.
Kennedy said his most memorable Badger Bash tailgate was the day Ron Dayne broke the record for rushing yards while playing against the University of Iowa in 1999.
""The place was packed with people ready to the see the game '¦ usually people lag to go '¦ [But] 15 or 20 minutes before game-time, everyone with a ticket was gone.""
Students are encouraged to go online and share their favorite memories of Union South and Badger Bash at www.newunion.wisc.edu.
