A little bit of Painted Street
Drake Relays is one of the most anticipated and exciting events at Drake University. Everyone, from alumni to students to parents to children, comes together. We celebrate the start of Drake Relays with the annual tradition of Painted Street.
If you don’t know what painted street is, here is brief history: Painted Street can be dated back before the 1980s. Many of Drake Univeristiy’s student organizations decorate individual squares between the section of Carpenter Avenue between Cowles Library and Jewett Residence Hall. Each square that is painted reflects the theme of that year’s Drake Relays.
The members of Drake’s Student Activites Board gives us a little insight to understand the tradition of painted street.
Eva Kellen, a member of SAB, said Painted Street is a way for student organizations to express themselves.
“Painted Street is a good opportunity for student organizations to come together,” Kellen said. “It allows them to represent what they do.”
As one of the events that kick off relays, Painted Street is one of the ways students create the history of Drake.
“It’s been a thing that has been done forever,” said Brynn Harnett, a sophomore who serves as SAB’s Relays co-chair. “In the past, only the most popular in the school got it [the squares], but it has become this bigger thing to create the history of Drake.”
After the completation of the squares, students of Drake University participate in a lively paint fight on Painted Street. It is a festive and spirited celebration where participants thow paint at each other.
Drake Relays
Drake Relays is a outdoor track and field event healed annually in Des Moines, Iowa. Drake Relays features varierty of events from competitions, including sprints, hurdles, distance events, field events, and more. Drake Relays is not just for athletes; it involves the local community.
Here is a rundown on the upcoming events.
Events for the Community:
- 56th Annual Drake Road Races
- 45th Beautiful Bulldog Competition
- Vault at Jordan Creek
- Grand Blue Mile
- Shot Put Showcase
Events for Students:
- Paint Fight
- Street Painting
- Drake Road Races Cheers Challenges
- T-Shirt Screen Printing
- Foam Pit Party
- Relays Carnival
- Dodgeball
- Paint it Black with the Coalition of Black Students (CBS)
- Drake Relays Concert
To learn more about events happenining during Drake Relays week, follow this link for more additional details: Drake Relays Rundown
In addition, if you are interesting in attending the sporting events, follow this link to see the schedule: Relays Sporting Event Schedule