On Aug. 23, many people dressed in and decorated booths with their favorite team colors — purple and white or maroon and gold — to match the nearby high school and university.
Held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Embassy Suites Conference Center, the Business Showcase connects local businesses and civic groups with the community, who discover what is new in San Marcos. It had cash giveaways, food-and-drink samples and school performances.
This year’s showcase had a tailgate theme. Page Michel, president and CEO of the San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce, said the theme is because the showcase happened in the middle of August.
“If you’re in Texas in mid-August, you’re thinking about the following month, and people love it,” Michel said. “Plus, it’s a great way for us to showcase our high school and university.”
This year was the second time the showcase had a tailgate theme. It featured a “Rally for the Rattlers” pep rally from San Marcos High School at 10:30 a.m. and a “TXST Bobcats Halftime Show” from Texas State at 12:15 p.m. Michel contacted both schools to invite them to participate.
“This year, [the showcase] would probably be the first big thing that our school has been representing that year,” Michelle Knight, San Marcos High School dance director, said.
The showcase would usually take place during school hours, so Knight and Alexa Bryant, San Marcos High School cheer coach, would typically not be able to attend. The opportunity would allow the cheer and dance teams to represent the high school with the greater San Marcos community.
“The dance team and the cheer team have been preparing all summer long for football season, so this is a taste of what we’re going to be able to show during football season and during our own pep rallies,” Bryant said.
Ryan Riley, Texas State head cheer coach and spirit coordinator, first heard about the showcase last year. The changes to the department brought about excitement for the faculty.
Riley said the athletes do a lot of campus-based community events, so the showcase would help them build connections and relationships across the city for potential jobs.
“To be able to have [the opportunity] for my kids, I thought was cool, but also to be able to bring what we do every day on the sidelines and games and different events to the community and let them see an inside scoop of that, I thought was a really fun opportunity,” Riley said.
Since this was the second year the team participated in the showcase, Riley said it was an unexpected addition to the Bobcat Welcome Week events. This year, he also wanted to show the program’s growth and have the community engage with its events and games.
“Everyone loves to have a chance to promote all the great things that are happening in our local schools, and sports just really brings people together,” Michel said.
For more events from the San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce, visit its page at https://business.sanmarcostexas.com/events/.
