The organizers of the Big Event will kick off the 26th annual service day with a free concert featuring the Whiskey Myers band at 8 a.m. Saturday.
“The Big Event is the largest one-day student run service project in the nation,” said Anna Rash, a senior marketing major and director of Big Event.
Big Event has taken place in the administration building in the past, but because the project has outgrown the area, it has been moved to lot 100 C of Reed Arena.
The Pepsi bottling group and the Coca-Cola Co. will provide drinks and Slovacek Sausage will provide free sausage.
The opening ceremonies will start at 9 a.m. with speakers including Rash, Texas A&M President Elsa Murano, former President George Bush and Student Body President Conner Prochaska, followed by a yell practice with yell leaders and the Parsons Mounted Cavalry.
“We are setting all kinds of records this year, which is really neat,” Rash said.
There will be a record-setting 10,400 students participating in Big Event Saturday, which will be the first time students will complete more than 1,000 jobs.
“We don’t base the jobs on need, we just do jobs to say thanks to the entire community,” Rash said. “It’s not just for the needy, it’s for people who may just be lonely or just want to hang out with a great Aggie.”
Rash said it takes $70,000 to run the one-day event, and most of that money comes from donations with only 10 percent coming from the University, so Big Event organizers work all year long to get ready for one day.