Football Attends Alliance Carnation Festival

(ALLIANCE, OH)--Mount Union College's football team took some time off from preparing for the 2008 football season to attend the Alliance Carnation Festival Days in the Park Saturday afternoon.

The annual festival celebrates the city of Alliance and its place in history as the birthplace of the state flower - the Scarlet Carnation.  The 10-day event features numerous activities including Days in the Park, a live entertainment and food expo held in Silver Park.  The food vendors are all local civic organizations, churches and schools that use the event as a fundraiser.

Mount Union head football coach Larry Kehres has to feed his football players during preseason camp, so he decided to use it as an opportunity to help the community.  Each upperclass football player was given a stipend for dinner and instructed to spend it at the Festival.   

"We thought this would be a great way for Mount Union College to support such a special event as the Carnation Festival," commented head coach Larry Kehres.  "It is also an opportunity for our players to get out and experience and be part of the community, especially a community that supports us so much."

Even though it is only the third day of camp, players enjoyed the break in the routine.

"It is nice to get off campus, even if it's only for a little while," commented senior running back Nate Kmic (Delta/Delta).

"The food, the people and the place is great," stated junior placekicker/punter Jay Carpenter (Fairmont, WV/Fairmont).

Mount Union, preseason ranked No. 1 in the nation, hosts No. 10 ranked St. John Fisher (NY) College Saturday, September 6 at 1:30 p.m. in Mount Union Stadium.