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NIU students to discover local community at Huskies SEE DeKalb

August 23, 2010

The welcome mat will be out in downtown DeKalb for NIU students Thursday, Aug. 26.

Huskies SEE DeKalb,” is a special event developed in collaboration with Northern Illinois University, Re: New DeKalb, downtown businesses, and the DeKalb County Convention and Visitors Bureau to introduce the new and returning students to the city and will run from 3 to 8 p.m. The event is open to the public.
Huskies SEE DeKalb

“We wanted a way to welcome our Huskies to their new hometown,” said Debbie Armstrong, executive director for the DCCVB. “All Huskies including staff and community members are welcome and encouraged to wear Huskie gear to help paint the town red and black for this event.”

Shuttle buses will be operating at 15-minute intervals to transport students from the Holmes Student Center on the NIU campus to downtown DeKalb. Local community leaders will be present to welcome students upon their arrival downtown.

NIU students can register for prizes and gift baskets as well as maps featuring the location of participating businesses. There will be scavenger hunt with restaurants and shops offering student specials all night. The Farmers’ Market will be open until 6 p.m. “The Dark Knight,” sponsored by the NIU Alumni Association will be shown free at the Egyptian Theatre at 8 pm.

Members of the internationally acclaimed NIU Steelband will perform from 4 to 5 p.m. at the Van Buer Plaza located at Second and Locust streets. DeKalb Mayor Kris Povlsen, City Manager Mark Biernacki and NIU President John Peters are scheduled to take part in the “Huskies SEE DeKalb event.”

“I would like to welcome all those students who have chosen NIU to pursue their studies,” Povlsen said. “The City of DeKalb is an exciting place to live with a wide variety of entertainment and shopping venues that are close and accessible for all students; everything from fast food to eloquent dining; discount stores to high-end boutiques; outdoor patio dining to club entertainment. DeKalb has it all.”

“We want our students to think of DeKalb as their second hometown,” NIU President John Peters said. “Among the great assets of our community is its welcoming spirit. This event is the perfect opportunity for our students to not only experience and explore the city’s many amenities, but to also engage with local residents and downtown merchants.”

“We’ve given bus tours for students in the past to help acquaint them with all there is to see and do,” Armstrong said. “This event will help provide more Huskies with an opportunity to explore downtown DeKalb and to share that information with their families and friends when they visit. We want the students to know we’re all Huskies in DeKalb County.”

For more information on “Huskies SEE DeKalb” contact the DeKalb County Convention and Visitors Bureau at (815) 756-1336 or visit online at http://www.dekalbareacvb.com/huskies_see_dekalb.html.