Utah Tech University students, alumni and the community will come together to celebrate the rich history and traditions of the university and entire Southern Utah region during the 109th annual D-Week, set to take place the first week of April.
The historic “D” on the Hill, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, will glow red in honor of D-Week 2023, a spirit week similar to Homecoming that brings its own set of activities to the university’s spring semester.
“D-Week is the perfect opportunity to celebrate the Trailblazers of yesterday, today and tomorrow by coming together to participate in century-old traditions,” Brooke Sullivan, the alumni events and marketing coordinator at Utah Tech, said. “D-Week is a celebration of the pioneering spirit in Utah’s Dixie that make Southern Utah and Utah Tech University amazing places to live and learn.”
D-Week will open with the annual Alumni Awards Ceremony at 6 p.m. on March 31 on the third floor of the St. George Children’s Museum, the original Dixie Academy Building. As part of the celebratory evening, the 2023 alumni awardees will be honored. Jill Wulfenstein Derhak, class of 2015, will be awarded the Rising Alumni Award; Colby Neilson, class of 1993, will receive the Distinguished Alumni Award; and Steve and Toni Caplin, class of 1981, will be bestowed the Lifetime Achievement Award. Tickets for the dinner are available at utahtech.edu/alumniawards.
Then enjoy local art, live music and food at Brooks’ Block Party from 6 to 8 p.m. on April 3 in downtown St. George on Main Street Alley. This street fest, new to D-Week, will bring the community together to celebrate the 7th birthday of UT’s mascot Brooks the Bison and the 2016 launch of the Trailblazer athletic identity.
The festivities will continue with the 101st annual Trailblazer Pageant, where Utah Tech students will display their commitment to service, community involvement and academic achievement. The pageant begins at 7:30 p.m. on April 4 in the M.K. Cox Performing Arts Center, and admission is $10.
In another new event, the bison art statues placed around town will be the centerpiece of the Art in the City Tour, which will run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 6.
The Great Race, another longstanding tradition of D-Week, is set to start at 4 p.m. on April 7 in Greater Zion Stadium. Dating back to a 1960s bike race through St. George, the Great race morphed into a 10-person relay team that included motor crossing, horseback riding across Foremaster Ridge and tubing down the Virgin River in the early 1970s before it moved to campus in 2000. In its current form, the Great Race still features relay teams of 10 as they run, pedal, swim, scoot and slide their way through the infamous mud pit to the finish line. All ages can join in the race, and community members are encouraged to participate. Pre-registration is required at utahtech.edu/dweek.
Following the Great Race, Trailblazer Nation Spring Fest will offer music, food and carnival games starting at 5:30 p.m. on the Encampment Mall. The children’s egg hunt, presented by TDS and open to kids 15 and younger, will start at 6 p.m. and feature more than 20,000 eggs. Then at 7 p.m., the Golden Egg Hunt will include major prizes for individuals 16 and older. Learn more about Spring Fest and register for the Golden Egg Hunt at utahtech.edu/springfest.
To wrap up D-Week, students, alumni and community members are invited to whitewash the “D” on the Hill at 8 a.m. on April 8 as part of a tradition that has been held since 1915. Breakfast will be served after a fresh coat of paint has been added to the “D” overlooking the community.
“You won’t want to miss D-Week,” Sarah Ramaker, assistant director of student involvement & leadership at UT, said. “This year’s lineup of time-honored traditions and new events promise to be a great opportunity for the Utah Tech and Southern Utah communities to come together and celebrate all we have achieved.”
For more information about Utah Tech University’s D-Week events, visit utahtech.edu/dweek.