Downtown Feels the Shift as Bulldog Bash Heads to MSU
STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – It’s billed as the largest free outdoor concert in the state, but when Bulldog Bash makes its return tomorrow, there will be some changes.
For one thing, it won’t be outdoors.
For more than 20 years, Bulldog Bash has been in the middle of Downtown Starkville..
But renovations as part of the city’s Main Street Improvements project have caused a change of venue.
So, this year, Bulldog Bash will take over the Humphrey Coliseum.
Downtown business owners have usually enjoyed a boost in business during the Bash.
Several of them have decided to follow the crowds and temporarily set up shop around The Hump to get in on the action.
Mississippi Eyewear store manager, Liz Russell, said the recent changes initially brought some uncertainty to business operations.
“I think at first, with it being a new thing and everybody is kind of scared of new and change, but it’s kind of like a growing pain. To get a better Starkville, we have to go through a process; sometimes it can be hard, but overall it benefits everybody pretty greatly.”
The Main Street project has been underway since mid-July.
Student workers at The Olive Tree say the concert can still benefit their business despite the relocation.
“I know it doesn’t start until 6 or 7, so they can shop all day. In the future, it will be great, I think, with the construction, it’ll make it more appealing to come down here and shop to begin with. So, I think in the future, with Bulldog Bash with the sidewalks and everything, it will be a great benefit.”
Russell also said she is excited for the future of the concert coming back downtown when the improvement project is complete.
“Bulldog Bash is always such a good experience to combine the student side of Starkville and also the local side of Starkville. So I think being able to mix those two groups of people together is very beneficial for downtown. So, we will miss that this year, but at the same time, we know that next year, when it’s all finished, it will be even greater.”
Natasha Bedingfield and Shaggy will be the performers for this year’s Bulldog Bash.
