AMES, Iowa -- This Saturday, Sept. 15, marks Iowa's biggest sports event of the year. It's the day the Cyclones and Hawkeyes renew their intrastate football rivalry for the 55th time. Kickoff is at 12:37 p.m. at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames.
Football fans around the state long ago cleared their calendars in anticipation of THE big game. Some have scheduled major life events around it. Others are planning gourmet tailgate feasts that can be prepared with little more than ingenuity and a portable grill. And new team sweatshirts line lots of closets, just waiting to be worn.
All that planning, and you'd take a chance on missing kickoff?
"Early arrival to the parking lots and the game is a necessity," says Nick Britton, director of event management for Iowa State Athletics. "If you don't want to miss kickoff, enter the stadium early when it opens at 11 a.m., and plan on arriving in Ames well before that. Fans who think they can leave their tailgate 20 minutes prior to start will more than likely not experience kickoff."
Take the roads less traveled...please
When 75,000 people descend on an area that's less than one square mile, and most of them know only one way to get there -- the Elwood Drive exit off Highway 30 -- there are bound to be delays. Avoid traffic hassles and frustration by allowing plenty of extra travel time and using alternate routes:
- 13th Street exit off Interstate 35: Go west on 13th Street, proceed two miles to Grand Avenue, and take a left. Proceed to Lincoln Way. Take a right on Lincoln Way to Elwood Drive; then turn left.
- South Dakota exit off Highway 30: Turn south onto South Dakota. Head north to Mortensen Road, then turn right onto Mortensen. Proceed east on Mortensen to Elwood Drive.
Park on campus, ride the free football shuttle
The free CyRide football shuttle will begin service at 9:30 a.m. Saturday and will run every eight minutes prior to and after the game (every 20 minutes during the game). Fans can park on central campus in any general (yellow) or reserved (red) lots for free on Saturday.* From there, they can catch the CyRide football shuttle from seven different stops:
- Stephens Auditorium (west side, both pick-up and drop-off)
- Wallace Road (near the greenhouses)
- Metals Development Building (Pammel Drive)
- Communications Building (Pammel Drive)
- College of Design (east side, on Bissell Road)
- Friley Hall (Union Drive)
- Memorial Union (north side, Union Drive)
Shuttle riders will be delivered to the west side of Stephens Auditorium, about one block from Jack Trice Stadium.
- (Parking for persons with disabilities and 24-hour reserved spaces will remain strictly enforced. Memorial Union ramp parking will be at the usual hourly rate).
Travel light
Stadium gates open at 11 a.m. You'll get into the game much more quickly carrying nothing but a ticket. Avoid bringing bags and purses -- the necessary bag checks slow entrance into the stadium.
These items are NOT allowed in Jack Trice Stadium:
- Alcohol
- Artificial noisemakers
- Backpacks, fanny packs and larger purses
- Beach balls
- Professional-grade cameras or video cameras
- Chair backs or stadium seats (cushions are OK)
- Coolers or containers
- Food and beverages
- Pets
- Strollers
- Umbrellas
- Weapons
Public parking
Public parking lots at Jack Trice Stadium open at 6:30 a.m. Saturday. Public parking near the stadium has been reduced by 1,500 spaces due to university construction projects, lot reassignments and improvements on Beach Avenue. Officials prefer that remaining stalls be used by fans who have tickets to the game. Public parking near the stadium is $15 for cars and $20 to $30 for RVs and buses. Medical accessible parking is located in Lot S-2.
Those entering public parking lots may be directed on to another area to allow for emergency vehicles and team bus traffic.
Donor (National Cyclone Club) parking
National Cyclone Club parking, which also opens at 6:30 a.m., is located directly adjacent to and north of the stadium. Vehicles must have a parking permit to enter reserved areas. Patrons should have parking passes ready for attendants to tear. Parking passes must be prominently displayed at all times.
Media
Media parking is in Lot S-3.
Tickets
There will be no single-game ticket sales for Saturday's game. The Athletics Department Ticket Office will sell season tickets only. Buyer beware -- if your ticket was not purchased through Iowa State University or the University of Iowa, you may have a fraudulent ticket and could be subject to expulsion from the game. Additional Jack Trice Stadium policies and procedures.
TV & radio coverage
The ISU-Iowa matchup will be televised live nationwide on Versus: channel 55 on Mediacom cable in Des Moines and Ames, channel 603 on DIRECTV and channel 151 on DISH Network. (Find Versus in your area at www.versus.com). Audio coverage is available on the Cyclone Radio Network and via Yahoo! Audio.
