Bozeman community members and MSU students invited to free neighborhood gathering Aug. 27

BOZEMAN - Montana State University and the City of Bozeman are hosting a "Bozeman BLOC Party" event this month to celebrate the start of the new school year.

"BLOC" stands for Bobcats Living Off-Campus, and the event serves as a vehicle to foster positive relationships between students living off campus and their non-student neighbors.

The free event will be held Thursday, Aug. 27, from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Story Mansion lawn, 811 S. Willson Ave. MSU classes begin Wednesday, Aug. 26.

Community members of all ages are encouraged to join the festivities, which will feature food and entertainment. Local band Emma and the Ledge will play live music, and food will be available for purchase at vendors including Likity Split Ice Cream, Prairie Dogs and Biscuit Bandits.

There will also be a bouncy castle, a dunk tank and lawn games, and the city's Book Mobile and Rec Mobile, which have books and games for children. Additionally, a raffle will allow attendees the chance to win prizes including a gift card to Blackbird, day passes to Spire Gym, tickets to the upcoming Drink the Sea show at the Elm, and a day pass to Bridger Bowl.

MSU President Brock Tessman and Bozeman Mayor Joey Morrison will deliver welcoming remarks. Representatives from University Police and the Bozeman Police Department will also be in attendance, as will Champ the Bobcat, who will be available for pictures.

"The BLOC party is all about forming connections within the community and starting the school year off right," said City of Bozeman Communications and Engagement Manager Takami Clark. "For many MSU students, this is the first time they're living away from home, so we want to share information and resources in a fun way on how they can do that successfully and how to engage meaningfully with their neighbors. We hope that through this event, we can build positive connections and help all residents feel at home in Bozeman."

The event, now in its second year, is part of the MSU Debut programming and was organized jointly by MSU's Off-Campus Student Life office and the City of Bozeman, with support from the Associated Students of MSU.

MSU Debut is a series of events to welcome new and returning students to campus, with this year's events scheduled for Aug. 23-30. For more information about MSU Debut, visit https://www.montana.edu/msudebut/events.html.