Drone show to light up Fort Worth sky to help celebrate TCU’s 150th anniversary
Hang on to your lily pads, Horned Frogs. Some 200 drones are expected to light up the sky over Campus Commons at TCU Friday night.
The display is one of several planned events to celebrate the university’s 150th anniversary.
“You might actually see SuperFrog as an honorary pilot flying a drone,” said Brad Thompson, director of student activities and TCU’s 150th projects manager and special projects subcommittee co-chair.
It has already been quite the year for the purple and white, including a trip to the College Football Playoff Championship game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The remainder of the year will be just as festive. The university has a year-long list of festivities planned to celebrate its sesquicentennial or 150th anniversary, which kick off this week. TCU first opened its doors to students in 1873.
“It’s just a neat opportunity and kind of a unique way of showcasing to the Fort Worth community that we’re here celebrating our 150th and we’re excited to include the entire community in that celebration,” Thompson said.
Planning the drone light show has been a three-month process. TCU’s special projects department worked with Sky Elements, a North Richland Hills based company that produces aerial drone light shows, to make their vision light up the sky, Thompson said.
The company created digital renderings of what the drone show will look like, highlighting several iconic TCU images, Thompson said. The day of the show, Sky Elements will have a team on-site to fly and control the drones.
Spectators will see around 12 different images during the show, including TCU’s 150th logo and Frog Fountain, Thompson said.
The free drone light show is at 7 p.m. Friday at the Campus Commons, 2901 Stadium Drive.
Other sesquicentennial events
Another big event this week is “The Story of Us: A TCU Immersive Experience”, opening Tuesday on campus at the Brown-Lupton University Union.
The 7,380 square-foot exhibit is an immersive multimedia walk-through of TCU’s history, complete with artifacts from the university’s last 150 years. The goal is to showcase where TCU has come from, where it is today and where the future is heading, Thompson said.
Thanks to TCU’s special collections department, the exhibit will have artifacts not seen by the public in decades and several of the university’s athletic trophy’s, including the 2022 Fiesta Bowl trophy, Thompson said.
“It’s a wonderful experience for the whole community to come in and just experience the history of TCU, starting off in Thorp Spring to Waco and then Fort Worth,” he said. “We’ve been a part of this community for a long time.”
The free “Story of Us” experience is open from 6:45-9 p.m. Tuesday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday and 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday at the Brown-Lupton University Union, 2901 Stadium Drive.
This story was originally published January 24, 2023 at 11:02 AM.
