Ole Miss Athletics Partners With Double Decker Arts Festival as Music Stage Sponsor

At a press conference yesterday (Tuesday, February 24), organizers for the 2016 Double Decker Arts Festival presented by Caterpillar announced that for the very first time, the Ole Miss Athletic Department will sponsor the music stage at the popular annual festival – Oxford’s favorite (as voted by you, the citizens of Oxford).

“We’re proud to announce that Ole Miss Athletics, who have been a longtime friend of tourism, have partnered with us this year to be the stage sponsor – so it will be the Ole Miss Athletic Stage for the 2016 Double Decker Arts Festival,” Mary Allyn Hedges, director of Visit Oxford said.

Director of Visit Oxford, Mary Allyn Hedges

Representing the Ole Miss athletic department at the meeting was University of Mississippi athletic director Ross Bjork (see short video at top).

“To be able to sponsor the stage after being asked a month or so ago, goes back to the partnership mentality,” Bjork said. “We do have core values that run our athletic department and one of those is community engagement; but it’s easy to stay in our lane and only host a football game, a basketball game or a baseball game.”

University of Mississippi athletic director Ross Bjork.
Photo courtesy Nathan Latil/Ole Miss Communications

“Our staff knows that I challenge all of us to say ‘what can we do in the community; how can we partner and do things like this?’” Bjork continued. “So, we’re grateful for the opportunity. It really just speaks to being a part of this amazing community and doing things in a unique way that makes this place very special. We’re proud to sponsor the stage.”

All we can say to that is “Hotty Toddy” and “Thank You” Ole Miss and A.D. Bjork. Your collective effort, along with the other great sponsors of the Double Decker Arts Festival presented by Caterpillar, will surely make this year’s event one to remember.

---

Jeff McVay is a staff writer and graphic designer for Hottytoddy.com. He can be reached at jeff.mcvay@hottytoddy.com.

Follow HottyToddy.com on Instagram and Twitter @hottytoddynews. Like its Facebook page: If You Love Oxford and Ole Miss…