Utah Tech University, community unite to celebrate the traditions, history of D-Week

Utah Tech University’s annual D-Week will bring students, alumni and the community together to celebrate the rich history and traditions of the university and Southern Utah region.

D-Week, a spirit week similar to Homecoming that brings its own set of activities to the university’s spring semester, dates back to 1915, when the student body constructed the D on the Hill. Held the second week of April, this spirit week bears the name it has long held to honor the longstanding traditions it includes.

“D-Week is such a special time of celebrating our university, our community, and the traditions we have built together over the course of more than a century,” Brooke Sullivan, assistant director of alumni relations, said. “I love this annual opportunity to engage with the community, celebrate our pioneering spirit and participate together in traditions, such as painting the D on the Hill.”

Kicking off D-Week, pop-up parties offering free giveaways will be held at Southern Utah businesses and featured Art in the City bison as part of Brooks’ City Tour from 4 to 6 p.m. on April 7. For example, UT tumblers engraved with individual’s names will be available on a first-come, first-served basis at the Town Square Park bison. Location details for all stops on the tour will be on @utahtechu’s Instagram stories the day of the event.

The festivities will continue with the annual Trailblazer Queen 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 8 in the Main Stage Theater of the Eccles Fine Arts Center, and general admission is $10.

Another longstanding tradition of D-Week, The Great Race, dates back to a 1960s bike race through St. George. Since then, The Great Race has 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. This year’s iteration of the storied relay is set to start at 5 p.m. on Friday, April 11, in Greater Zion Stadium. The community in invited to participate in the Great Race by pre-registering at utahtech.edu/dweek.

Immediately following The Great Race, Brooks Birthday Carnival will offer games and concessions to celebrate the ninth birthday of the university’s mascot, Brooks the Bison. Brooks was unveiled during D-Week 2016, when the Trailblazers athletic identity was launched. The event will take place April 11 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. on UT’s Encampment Mall.

To wrap up D-Week, students, alumni and community members are invited to paint the D on the Hill at 8 a.m. on April 12 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.

For more information about Utah Tech University’s D-Week events, visit utahtech.edu/dweek.