By ALIN HETTHays Post
All photos by Alin Hett/Hays Post
Students stepped away from campus Tuesday evening and marched into downtown Hays as March 2 Main returned for the first time since 2021.
Led by the Fort Hays State University marching band and cheerleaders, students made their way from the FHSU campus to the Downtown Pavilion, where the evening continued with food, live music, games and "swag bags".
Beyond giving students a night of activities, organizers said the return of March 2 Main was about helping students become part of the community they now call home.
Lee Ann June, executive director of The Bricks, said it can be easy for new students to become caught up in their own corner of the world and disconnected from the community around them.
“This is that opportunity to be able to start building that bridge,” June said.
Students from FHSU, Fort Hays Tech | North Central and Hays Academy of Hair Design were invited to participate in the event, giving students from across Hays a chance to experience downtown and see what the community has to offer.
The Gamers Guild brought a table full of games, while the Hays Arts Council and Hays Public Library bookmobile were also on hand. The Maker Van from the FHSU Science and Mathematics Education Institute gave students another activity to explore.
Options Domestic and Sexual Violence Services was also there to connect with students. The organization serves 18 counties across northwest Kansas and holds office hours on the FHSU campus on the first and third Thursday of each month in the Center for Student Success.
Pizza Hut served pizza, while Cold Stone Creamery handed out root beer floats.
Reprise provided live music throughout the evening, performing classic rock songs including “Hit Me with Your Best Shot” and Boston's “More Than a Feeling.”
March 2 Main was made possible through a partnership involving The Bricks, FHSU, the Hays Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Hays Police Department and local businesses and organizations.
Nikki Brown, executive director of the Hays Convention and Visitors Bureau said it is all about community
“When we pull together as a community is really when we see the greatest things happen,” Brown said.
