Campustown Action Association plans to kick off the 2014 football season with free live music accompanied by a beer garden.

The Campustown Action Association is hosting its third annual Friday Afternoon in Campustown on Aug. 29 from 5 to 9 p.m. It is free to enter and attendees must be 21 or older. Beer tickets must be purchased.

“The goal for this event is to get students and the community members celebrating together,” said Kim Hanna, director of Campustown Action Association. “It’s a great way to have a multigenerational mix. It’s a full wide range of age and music.”

The association has been working to make Campustown more of a destination for everybody, Hanna said. She said she is hopeful this event will help reach that goal. 

“We want to make Campustown a fun place for everyone,” Hanna said. “You don’t have to be here at 11 o’clock at night, but you can be here at 5 o’clock and still have a good time.”

Two bands will be featured at the event: Pork Tornadoes and Sidecar Rallye, both local bands that play covers from the ‘80s, ‘90s, and 2000s.

“It’s a free event to the entire community,” said Anne Taylor, chancellor at Dogtown University, a clothing store on Welch Avenue. “I think it’s a good event for people who aren’t always around Campustown to come and see what we have to offer.”

Hanna and Taylor said they encouraged students and members of the community to not only enjoy the free event but also to grab a bite to eat or pick up a T-shirt for the first home game.

“With all of our events we hold for Campustown, our ultimate goal is to introduce and to get as many people from the Ames community exposed to our neighborhood,” Taylor said.

A handful of Dance Marathon students will be providing a little more manpower by helping with the setup of the event.

“It seems like a smart thing for our two entities to be involved with each other,” said Matt Winkleblack, senior in marketing and Dance Marathon business relations codirector. “We’ve been connected with [Campus Action Association] for the past few years. It’s a natural connection.”

Those who attend will receive a complimentary coozey. There are eight varieties of beers and prices are set for $4 per beer or four beers for $15.

The event will be set up in Welch Lot T, the parking lot directly south of Welch Avenue Station and Pizza Pit. Attendees will enter at the east side of the parking lot, where they will need to show their IDs to be able to purchase beer tickets.

“This event is a great way for [the association] to get [its] name out there in a positive light,” Winkleblack said. “It gives students a chance to know that they exist as an organization that could be very useful to them in the future.”