2018 March to Main to offer thousands of dollars in prizes

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

Thousands of dollars worth of prizes will be given to local college students during the annual March to Main on Aug. 28.

March to Main is organized by the Downtown Hays Development Corp. along with a committee of members from the Hays Convention and Visitors Bureau, Fort Hays State University and North Central Kansas Technical College. The event is open to FHSU, NCK Tech and Hays Academy of Hair Design students, faculty and staff.

Students will meet at the FHSU Quad at 5:30 p.m. They will march down Eighth Street to Main Street behind the FHSU band, cheerleaders, dance squad and Victor E. Tiger.

Students will search for four special bricks. Three will be worth $100 cash each, and the fourth gold brick will be worth $200.

Students can visit 32 participating businesses to play Bingo toward prizes.

“We give away over $3,000 in prizes at this event thanks to our very generous sponsors,” Sara Bloom, DHDC director, said. “We have gift cards, we have salon packages, we have $150 watches, we’ve got jewelry, we’ve got TVs, we’ve got laptops, we’ve got Keurigs, You name it, we’ve got it.”

Gella’s Diner will provide a free sandwich meal to the first 500 students, faculty and staff with valid ID. The meal is sponsored by the Hays Convention and Visitors Bureau. Water will be provided by Culligan.

Musical artist KRIGARE will perform live at the Downtown Pavilion at 10th and Main streets.

The presidents of the local education institutions will address the students as well as other local leaders.

“The primary goal of this event is to welcome the students to Hays,” Bloom said. “We want to make sure that they know we are excited they are here, that we welcome them, that we want them to be a part of the community.

“But as they go on a scavenger hunt and fill a bingo card while they are at the event from 6 to 8, they are also getting to go into those businesses, see what products and services they offer, meet those business owners, be welcomed by those business owners and really start to connect with their new home.”