INDIANAPOLIS — The Circle City Classic hosted a pep rally Friday ahead of Saturday's big events.
This year's pep rally featured the Kentucky State University Mighty Marching Thorobreds and the Talladega College Great Tornado Band.
Indianapolis was built on strong traditions like the Circle City Classic and that legacy continues. Volunteer Tracey Bush called it a great way to get downtown involved.
"People coming from out of town can see what a wonderful city Indianapolis is and all the wonderful things it has to offer," said Bush.
Bush also graduated from a historically Black college
"The classic is a wonderful opportunity to showcase HBCUs. There are not a lot of them in the Midwest, so there's an opportunity to expose people in Indianapolis to historically Black colleges and universities" said Bush.
That includes people like Keith Terrell. He went to the very first Circle City Classic in 1984. This year, the Classic will look a little different, because there's no football game.
"It's kind of disappointing, but I understand why a lot of teams decided not to go to these classics," said Terrell.
He said he's still proud of the Circle City Classic legacy and hopes it continues.
"I hope people come down and bring their kids down and come to the parade and battle of the bands," he said.
The parade starts Saturday at 10 a.m. at the corner of Pennsylvania and North streets and travels a one-mile route through downtown Indianapolis.
Learn more about the Circle City Classic and this weekend's events, including the parade, parties, networking events and concerts.