Fans, Campus, CPD Readying For Night Game; Pep Rally, Parade Canceled
October 24, 2008
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Fans are getting ready for the parties. Officers are getting ready for the crowds. Everyone’s preparing for the traffic restrictions.
UPDATE: Ohio State has canceled Friday night’s Homecoming parade and pep rally due to inclement weather.
NBC 4’s Mikaela Hunt reported on Ohio State versus Penn State preps Friday.
She said Saturday’s game will be Ohio State’s eighth night game – ever.
Ohio State said its fans will be ready to handle it after the rowdy night game and lessons learned against Texas in 2005.
The "Best Fans In The Land" campaign helped change the tide of sometimes-destructive fan behavior during the last few years, but the student Sportsmanship Council has done some extra things in the last few months to take the effort to the next level.
Teams of OSU students (sometimes walking with Penn State students) will be greeting fans Saturday before the night game.
The council has taken some of its structure and planning and shared it with a group of Penn State students in hopes they and other Big Ten schools will fight the urge to be disrespectful.
SATURDAY PARKING RESTRICTIONS
Parking restrictions will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday. There will be no parking on Lane Avenue between Tuller and Indianola avenues or on Chittendon Avenue between High and Summit streets. Park there and risk towing and a 0 fine.
Those who live in the no-parking zone can park for free at the West Campus Carmack No. 1 lot from noon Friday until Sunday night. That’s at the corner of Carmack and Kenny roads.
POST-GAME TRAFFIC & CPD
OSU’s top concern, really, is the traffic situation after the game.
Normally, people will leave the game at different times and tailgate after. But with a late-night game and this heated matchup, officials think fans will stay longer and not tailgate after.
It could make for a massive problem.
Be prepared to double your wait time to get out of the campus area. If it usually takes you 45 minutes, it could be an hour-and-a-half Saturday night.
CPD, both uniformed and undercover, officers will be on hand help with traffic and watch out for underage drinkers. CPD also will have portable lights in place on and off campus plus the mounted patrol on standby.
Hunt will show you CPD’s top concerns and how it plans to combat those issues tonight on NBC 4 and nbc4i.com.
Stay tuned to NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com for more information on this developing story.
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