Back to the Bricks 2018 Welcomes Hundreds of MC Students to Clinton

Scene from the 2017 Back to the Bricks in Clinton

Back to the Bricks remains one fantastic event showcasing Clinton’s smorgasbord of businesses before hundreds of Mississippi College students.

The 2018 edition on August 20 promises to be the best ever. As usual, it’s sponsored by leaders of Main Street Clinton, the Clinton Chamber of Commerce, and the City of Clinton. They’re all smiles as they roll out the Blue & Gold carpet to the MC Choctaws family.

MC students will meet the city’s merchants, church leaders, the City Hall crowd and others in this vibrant community. There’s tons of sweets, live music, loads of cost-cutting coupons for shoppers, games and much more. The event runs from 5-7 p.m. that Monday. MC students will chow down for a delicious meal provided by Campus Dining, the university’s food provider.

Back to the Bricks gets high marks as one of the most popular events in MC’s annual Welcome Week. It kicks off on Saturday August 18 as students move into Clinton campus residence halls.

Combining a festive atmosphere with food pleasing all taste buds plus an outpouring of friendly Clintonians builds bonds between MC students and the university’s hometown.  Leaders of local Clinton church ministries will also be on hand to greet students.

A hit at the 2017 event in downtown Clinton, the band Sun & Co. returns for another musical performance amid the summer heat of late August.

Tara Lytal, executive director of Clinton Main Street, looks forward to the fun in the city’s historic business district.

“We are thrilled to welcome the MC students back to the community with our annual Back to the Bricks block party,” says Lytal, a Mississippi College graduate. “The Brick Streets are full of activity and the town comes back to life with the students return.”

The MC director of student engagement, Becca Benson agrees. “It is a wonderful opportunity for our students to meet some of the most amazing businesses in Clinton and connect with some locals,” she said. “Back to the Bricks combines all of the great things Clinton has to offer!.”

Mayor Phil Fisher always stops by to mingle with newcomers cheering for the MC Choctaws. He’s a fan of Back to the Bricks vanilla ice cream cones on steamy summer days in Central Mississippi.

This marks the first Back to the Bricks in Clinton for new MC President Blake Thompson, his wife, Jana, and their three children. Dr. Thompson began serving the 5,200-student Christian university on July 1.

When Back to the Bricks wraps up at 7 p.m., Mississippi College students are invited to the Phillips House to visit the university’s new leader and his family on the Clinton campus.