The 2012 Bulldog football season kicks off and Red Wave fans are encouraged to wear their Fresno State colors throughout the region and cheer on not just new football Coach Tim DeRuyter but also new Bulldog Marching Band Director Dr. Dave Fullmer.

There’s a “new” theme this weekend. New coach, new band director, new conference, new gear to show fans’ support and even two new ROTC commanders whose units unite to present the colors.

Bulldog Athletics and the Fresno State Alumni Association are asking fans to wear their red, white and blue apparel Friday, Aug. 31, to show support for the Bulldogs as they start a new season with a new coach and a new conference, the Mountain West.

The Alumni Association has introduced its Gameday in a Box to decorate offices and tailgates and provide such  school-spirit essentials as a game field and football, banners, pom poms, tattoos, baseball hats and more to create a Fresno State Bulldog space.

The kits can be purchased on Alumni Association website, at the Smittcamp Alumni House or at the Bulldog Shop for $125. Proceeds benefit the Bulldog Foundation Scholarship Fund and Alumni Association programs and student scholarships.

Licensed apparel is sold at the Bulldog Shop at Cedar and Barstow avenues, open 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Sept. 1; and at the Kennel Bookstore on campus, open 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Aug. 31 and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sept. 1. Fresno State merchandise also is sold at Bulldog Boulevard and in stadium kiosks before and during each home game.

For tailgate supplies, the Rue and Gwen Gibson Farm Market at Barstow and Chestnut avenues sells student produced snack sticks, sausage, cheese and beef jerky in addition to campus-grown fruits, vegetables, nuts and meat, plus wine, dairy products and olive oil.

Farm Market hours are 9 a.m.–6 p.m. Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday.

Bulldog Boulevard, north of Beiden Field in the Red Lot, will again emphasize family-friendly pregame activities.

Under Fullmer’s direction, the Bulldog Marching Band will march through tailgate areas to help rouse fan spirit from 5:30 to 6:15 p.m. At halftime, the 250-member band will present its halftime show, “Screamers,” with performances of “La Suerte de los Tontos,” “Chameleon,” featuring the band’s Guard and Dance Teams, and “Open Up Wide.”

Leading the band this year as drum majors are Moises Fagundes from Turlock and Cactus Harris from Paso Robles, both seniors and second-year drum majors, and first-year member Natalia Tomasello, a junior from Truckee. All are music education majors.

The Joint Air Force/Army ROTC will present colors before the game. The new unit commanders are Army Lt. Col Lorenzo Rios and Air Force Lt. Col. Matthew Buehler.

Traffic controls will be in place beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 1 when all game day parking lots open. Gates to the stadium open at 5:30 p.m. for the 7 o’clock kickoff.

At 3 p.m. Sept. 1, Barstow Avenue becomes one-way westbound from Chestnut to Cedar avenues, switching to one-way eastbound after the game. Inbound and outbound traffic patterns are unchanged from 2011.

Free bus shuttle service will be available beginning at 3 p.m. Sept. 1from a bus-only lane encircling the campus along Woodrow, Shaw, Cedar and Barstow avenues. The buses will run after the game to take fans to Lots A, J and V, west of the Save Mart Center, where parking will cost $10.

“The goal is to keep essential traffic flowing at the appropriate rate needed to accommodate the numbers of people attending the Bulldog football games,” said Amy Armstrong, traffic and parking coordinator for the University Police Department.

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