The fourth annual Welcome to Abilene festival will be held Thursday night from 7 – 9 in the Hunter Welcome Center.

The Students’ Association hosts this expo at the beginning of each year as a way for local businesses and churches usher in ACU freshmen and transfer students. However, all students are invited to come and get connected with the Abilene community. Students will have the opportunity to make new connections and even try some of the local flavor. According to a press release from the S.A. more than 50 of Abilene’s local churches, businesses and restaurants will be in attendance on Thursday. Among them are the Hickory Street Cafe, Southern

Hills Church of Christ, Town & Country Drive- in Theater and the Play Faire Miniature Golf Park.

Chris Shim, S.A. treasurer, thinks this event will be beneficial for students as well as the local businesses and churches.

“Oftentimes there are little parts of Abilene here and there- that kids sometimes don’t even go to until their senior year, and this event will bridge that gap so the kids feel more at home, like it is more their town,” Shim said.

In addition to the benefits of familiarizing themselves with Abilene, students who attend the event will be eligible for door prizes.

The first 300 students to arrive will receive a free t-shirt. Other prizes include tickets to the ACU Theatre Department’s fall musical-comedy I Do! I Do! But the biggest giveaway of the night will be the most coveted item of new ACU technology, an Apple iPad.

Farron Salley, SA chief communications officer, said everyone in the S.A. has been working hard to push this event to fruition. She cited the Students’ Association’s pairing with the Abilene Chamber of Commerce and S.A. President Samuel Palomares’ voracious fund-raising as reasons she feels the event will be a success.

“I think it will be win-win, for the businesses who will be coming and the students to meet the businesses,” Salley Said. ” People always want freebies, it’ll be full of freebies.”