Combine a group of friends, Cyclone spirit and about $2,500 and what do you get?

A large school bus completely refurbished for the tailgating season starting before Saturday’s football season opener outside Jack Trice Stadium.

“I would run around football games with a cornhead on the past few years,” said Reggie Graeve, junior in production/operations management. “I decided to go all out this year. I had buddies willing to help me with redoing [the bus] and to help finance it, too.”

Graeve and friends started their search for a bus before last season, but they couldn’t find a bus or enough money to finance it, he said. Then, they looked in the yellow pages and came upon CIT Charters of Ames, a professional chartered bus service.

The large bus cost them $1,000, and it will take about $1,500 to completely redo the bus inside and out. Various friends and parents have helped finance the bus, donated supplies and given their time to help the students.

“It took a lot of hard work from a lot of different people,” Graeve said, “and I appreciate that more than words can say.”

The first thing onlookers notice when they see the bus is a giant deck on top covered with green Astroturf and painted as a football field with ISU flags flying in the wind. A barbecue and coolers with beverages will be on a rack on the rear of the bus.

“We’ll be grilling steaks, burgers and – of course – some Panthers,” Graeve said.

The exterior of the school bus was painted white in August. Jason Acton, junior in art and design, airbrushed murals on the sides and front featuring Cy, red and yellow pinstripes and other ISU designs, while his friends tinted the windows black.

“I’m sure none of them could do something like that,” Acton said. “I’ve been involved with painting for Homecoming and other campus activities and I’m a design major, so word got around that I could do this. I never even thought about painting a mural on their bus until they asked me, and of course, I agreed.”

The interior is adorned with red and yellow stripes and cushy new gray seats and carpet. A blaring sound system and a television to watch the game coverage also will be inside the bus for those not attending the game.

Graeve and friends have worked about six hours a day since classes started and will work until the last minute to prepare for Saturday. They will meet at Graeve’s house and ride the bus over to Jack Trice Saturday. They plan to be first in line to begin tailgating when the gates open at noon.

“We welcome everybody to stop by the tailgate and have one with us,” Graeve said.

The friends plan to not only attend all home games in the bus, but also all away games, except the Ohio and Texas A&M games.

Eric Webb, junior in liberal arts and sciences, said he’s looking forward to the season of fun.

“If you can’t have a good time with us,” he said, “then you can’t have a good time.”