Utah Tech University’s annual D-Week will bring students, alumni and the community together April 6-11 to celebrate the rich history and traditions of the university and Southern Utah.
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 every year, this spirit week bears the name it has long held to honor the longstanding traditions it includes. In keeping with tradition, the D on the Hill will be lit red the entire week as part of the festivities.
“There is a greater meaning to this tradition week, and it goes back to the very early beginnings of our then college, now university traditions,” Utah Tech Director of Alumni Relations John Bowler said. “We gather together to celebrate the impact that this campus makes on each one of us.”
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 on April 6. The following day, Trailblazer Athletics will be featured when the Utah Tech baseball team takes on the University of Utah at 4 p.m. on April 7 at Utah Tech’s Hurst Baseball Complex.
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 7 in the Mainstage Theatre 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 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 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 April 10 in Greater Zion Stadium. The community is invited to participate in the Great Race by pre-registering at utahtech.edu/dweek.
Immediately following The Great Race, Brooks Birthday Carnival will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. on April 10 on UT’s Encampment Mall and offer games and concessions to celebrate the 10th birthday of the university’s mascot, Brooks the Bison. Brooks was unveiled during D-Week 2016, when the Trailblazers athletic identity was launched.
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 11 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 full details on all Utah Tech University D-Week events, visit utahtech.edu/dweek.