August 21, 2023
SIU Day at the Du Quoin State Fair is Sept. 2
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois University Carbondale will be heavily involved as the 101st edition of the Du Quoin State Fair will be awash in maroon, starting later this week.
SIU has several activities set during the fair, starting with the annual Twilight Parade at 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 25. Chancellor Austin A. Lane, along with the Marching Salukis, Saluki Spirit Squads, members of the Dawg Pound and WSIU will all be participating.
The great programs and services that SIU Carbondale provides the region and beyond will be part of SIU Day/Coal Heritage Day at the Fair on Saturday, Sept. 2. The fairgrounds are open from noon to midnight, with SIU activities from noon to 3 p.m. Parking is free for all SIU students, faculty and staff with a valid ID. Everyone is encouraged to have fun and wear maroon.
SIU activities will be in the Second Heat building, located on Midway Drive across from the walk-in plaza (Gates 5-6) and an adjacent outdoor area. The building is air conditioned, with access to electricity and internet. There is outdoor space immediately outside the building for activities better suited for that setting.
Activities will include:
- WSIU kids’ activities and giveaways.
- Jim and Vicki Blair of Energy and their saluki dogs will be available for a meet-and-greet and photos.
- Center for Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Aquatic Sciences will have a booth with pictures of different fish, a five-gallon tank with different aquatic invertebrates and different methods for catching fish.
- Fermentation Science Institute will feature a fermentation of yeast and sugar and sensory experiment.
- Saluki Science Ambassadors will host a strawberry DNA extraction activity.
- SIU Alumni Association will have giveaways.
- Southern Region Early Childhood Program will offer educational engagement activities for children and their families.
- STEM Education Research Center will host a table featuring activities.
- The Graduate School, College of Business and Analytics, Undergraduate Admissions and the School of Medicine Lincoln Scholars will also host tables and/or activities.
Faculty and staff from the School of Automotive, along with a display of vehicles, will be on hand to discuss the nationally known program during the USAC Silver Crown and ARCA races, Sept. 2-3.
Additional information is available on the University Events and Outreach website.