By Christina Steffy
Patriot Correspondent

Kutztown University held its second Paint the Town Gold celebration Oct. 1 to 4.

Paint the Town Gold (PTTG) is an event meant to foster good will between the university, Kutztown Borough and Maxatawny Township. This event also coincided with KU’s Family Day.

PTTG grew out of a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) effort to get more community members to attend campus athletic events.

Greg Bamberger, KU director of athletics and member of the PTTG planning committee, said “What started as a way to encourage community attendance at an athletic event has mushroomed into a large community event.”

KU’s first PTTG event was also held in conjunction with Family Day, and was so successful it won a Division II Award for Excellence. Although that was great news for KU, Julie Nolan, director of community relations and development services, said when planning for this year, people thought, “What are we going to do for an encore?”

While that may have been a concern when planning began six months ago, this weekend proved that the second year was even better than the first.

Once again, PTTG began with local shops and offices on campus having their windows painted. KU art education professor Dr. Heather Fountain’s classes teamed with Kutztown and Brandywine Heights middle and high school students to paint store fronts.

Fountain said this is a “great way to help students feel empowered to be part of the community and take ownership for it as well.”

This is also a rewarding experience for people on and off-campus who have their store fronts painted.

Kim Davis, owner of The Bark on Main, said she enjoys being part of PTTG because she “enjoys being part of the community, and it’s a nice way to bridge the gap between KU and the community.”

Trisha Scarcia-King, director of student union and involvement services at KU, said her favorite part of PTTG is seeing the creativity of the students who painted windows around town and on campus. She said seeing this reminds her of the students’ “dedication and spirit of volunteerism.”

Scarcia-King added, “Our students care about this community and Kutztown University.”

After the store fronts were painted, the event officially kicked off with a Thursday night pep rally on Main Street. Members of the KU football, soccer and field hockey teams were there, as well as members of the Kutztown Area High School football team and the Kutztown Area Middle School jazz band. The celebration wrapped up Sunday with a golf tournament.

The main focus of the PTTG celebration was Avalanche’s Spirit Strut down Main Street, leading up to the football game against Cheyney University. KU defeated Cheyney 35-21, with KU junior kicker Matt Dineen setting a KU single-game five field goal record.

During a pre-game event, the university and the borough also signed an Army Community Covenant, showing community support for the military and vice-versa. KU is the first university in Pennsylvania to sign this covenant.

Meghan Godorov, KU Off-Campus Advisory Council graduate assistant, said this event “makes her proud to be part of the town,” which she calls “a gem.”

Nolan said her ultimate goal is to “make it a tradition” and “see it continue to grow.”

Kutztown Mayor Sandy Green said she loves seeing everyone happy together.

“I would definitely like to see this event continue and grow. It could be a week long event,” said Green.

For more information, visit www.paintthetowngold.com.