Trinity River to be dyed purple for TCU Horned Frogs

Posted Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2009 Comments   (0)  Print Share Share Reprints
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By TRAVIS L. BROWN

Special to the Star-Telegram

If you can judge by the score, Fort Worth's "Go Purple" campaign two weeks ago was a big success.

So the city is pouring it on again.

In honor of the TCU Horned Frog football team, Mayor Mike Moncrief declared Wednesday that the section of the Trinity River that runs through Trinity Park will be dyed purple starting Friday morning.

And it will be renamed "Horned Frog River" for the remainder of the Frogs' season.

The water should be completely purple by a 10 a.m. news conference, according to a news release from Moncrief's office.

With the help of the Tarrant Regional Water District, the levies of Horned Frog River have been decorated as well.

"While we know that there is one huge game to go on Saturday, the city of Fort Worth, in conjunction with Tarrant Regional Water District and Streams and Valleys, wanted to show our support of the Frogs in a big way," Moncrief stated in the release.

Water district employees have been working with a nontoxic dye that will not affect water quality or harm aquatic life, said Chad Lorance, communications manager for the water district. Streams and Valleys Inc. donated the dye.

Purple pride also spread to private companies including Chesapeake Energy, which turned the top of its downtown building purple before the Nov. 14 football game. The company bought purple plastic theatrical gels and clipped them to the lenses of 1,000-watt white spotlights.

Chesapeake is trying to do the same this weekend for the Frogs' last home game of the season against the University of New Mexico but is having trouble getting the gels, said James Geiser, a Chesapeake spokesman.

"Unfortunately, everybody made a run on those gels," Geiser said. "We kind of started the whole thing here, and we're trying our best to get them. If not, we certainly will in the future."

Moncrief said the response to the first "Go Purple Day" was overwhelming.

"The sales in our stores have jumped. You can't find anything purple in a sporting goods store. You can't find anything in the TCU bookstore. You can't find anything purple at the concession stand at the game," he said.

TCU is No. 4 in the BCS rankings and is undefeated, which could lead to the university's first BCS bowl game. The last home game starts at noon Saturday in Amon Carter Stadium.

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