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Quote:LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The City of Las Cruces and the New Mexico State Athletic Department are teaming up for a special collaborative event on Friday, Oct. 20, as NM State Athletic teams descend on the Plaza de Las Cruces for the event dubbed "Downtown Aggies."

"The City of Las Cruces stands by our Aggies and encourages all to come out to the pep rally and support Aggie sports year round." said Phil San Filippo, Economic Development Director for the City of Las Cruces. "LAS CRUCES IS AGGIE COUNTRY and we encourage all to AGGIE UP!"

The free event is slated to go from 5 p.m. (MT) to 10 p.m. and features food trucks, vendors, community organizations, music and a huge pep rally. The NMSU Pride Band will be amongst the groups in attendance and is set to perform from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Prizes and a t-shirt giveaway are also some of the promotions that are scheduled for the Friday, Oct. 20, event.

A handful of New Mexico State teams will be on hand as well, including Aggie football, volleyball, men's and women's basketball and swim & dive teams.

"The Downtown Aggie concept is designed to further strengthen the ties between the Las Cruces community and Aggie Athletics," NM State Director of Athletics Mario Moccia said. "Grassroots marketing is critical to our overall success and this is one of our first events to increase our focus in this area. I would like to thank Nicole Sack in our marketing office and Phil [San Filippo] from the City of Las Cruces for their innovation and hard work. I know the community will love to see many Aggie teams up close and personal on Main Street."

The event will event will kick off a week of celebration for NM State Homecoming, which is scheduled for Oct. 28. Additionally, the city will also offer free bus service on the day of the event on the RoadRUNNER Transit and Dial-a-Ride services. All passengers will be able to ride any of the fixed routes or Dial-a-Ride at no charge.