Get ready to break out your Pioneer spirit. The Southern Standard will be offering a Pioneer Pep Rally in downtown McMinnville this Thursday, Aug. 20, at 6 p.m.
“We want to host a pep rally so the community can come out and show support for their teams,” said Standard employee Holly Cantrell, one of the event organizers.
In attendance at the pep rally will be Warren County High School’s football team, choir, cheerleaders and Pioneerettes, as well as the Warren County Middle School football team and cheerleaders. The WCHS Pioneer Pride Marching Band will perform and the roster for both football teams will be announced.
McMinnville officials gave permission Tuesday night for the closure of Main Street from Chancery Street to Spring Street between the hours of 5:15 and 9:30 p.m. on Thursday due to the large number of people expected to be in attendance.
It’s been five or six years since a school-related pep rally has been offered in downtown McMinnville.
“The last time this was offered, it was a huge event,” said Mayor Jimmy Haley. “They tailgated everywhere and there were over 3,000 people downtown. The town was swamped with people going into stores. I had never seen that many people concentrated around Court Square at one time.”
A motion by Vice Mayor Ben Newman to close the street for safety concerns passed 5-1. Haley, Newman, and Aldermen Steve Harvey, Mike Neal and Jimmy Bonner voted in favor of closing the street, while Alderman Everett Brock voted against it. Alderman Ryle Chastain was absent.
Concessions of pizza, nachos, and Dr Pepper products will be available.