The Illinois State Athletics Department and the Alumni Association will host the Redbird Rally Tailgate prior to the season-opening football game at Iowa on September 5.

The tailgate will be held at the Hawkeye Village in the Duane Banks Iowa Baseball Complex. The Redbird Rally Tailgate will begin at 8:30 a.m., and is free for Redbird fans with no advance registration needed. View the parking map for details.

Fans must enter the tent through the third-baseline entrance. Food and beverages will be available for purchase, in addition to a cash bar. For $5, fans will have the choice of a brat or hamburger, with a bag of chips. Water and soft drinks will be available for $2, while beer and wine will be sold for $4 each.

A program will begin at 9:45 a.m., with President Larry Dietz and Director of Athletics Larry Lyons, prior to the 11 a.m. kickoff between the Redbirds and the Hawkeyes. WJBC will also have a live-remote broadcast during the tailgate.

The game will be the first-ever meeting of the two programs on the gridiron, and first for the Redbirds against a Big Ten Conference foe since 2010. Tickets for the game are still available online at GoRedbirds.com/tickets, by phone at (309) 438-8000, or in person at the Redbird Arena box office.