Rain or shine, the show will go on.
The 85th annual Gator Growl will go on as planned tonight at 7 p.m. at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium despite a rainy forecast.
The night's performers include comedian Jon Reep, perhaps best known for his role as the "Hemi guy" in the Dodge Ram ad campaign, and the Steve Miller Band.
Reep will be paid $25,000 and will join a list of past Gator Growl performers that includes Robin Williams, Bill Cosby, Jay Leno and Jerry Seinfeld.
The Steve Miller Band, known for '70s hits such as "Fly Like an Eagle" and "The Joker," will earn more than six times Reep's pay, cashing in at $160,000.
Preparing for what is billed as the world's largest student-run pep rally means a frenzy of activity in the north end zone of the stadium about a week prior to the event.
From at least 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day for the past week, a team of about 400 student workers from the O'Connell Center has filtered through the stadium's gates to assemble the stage and raise the roof.
A team of about 500 volunteers handles other activities for the event, such as selling tickets at today's parade.
"It takes about six days to set up and about six hours to tear down," said Michael Jordan, the show's producer.
The entire stadium entered lock-down about 4 p.m. Wednesday to allow for free-run of the stadium and to preserve the show's surprise elements.
Setup during the seven-day stretch will cost about $325,000, a figure that does not include salaries of workers and representatives, Jordan said.
The entire show's budget is about $750,000, similar to last year's bill, he said.
The title sponsor of the event, Verizon Wireless, contributed $62,500 this year, an increase from last year's donation of $50,000.
The prominence of the pep rally has grown since its official start in 1932, when the first Gator Growl ran on a budget of about $100, said Carl Van Ness, UF historian.
Gator Growl will feature performances by three winners of Talent Night, held Oct. 7: solo artist Braxton Adamson, dancing group Sabor Latino and local band Dear Dakota.
There will also be appearances by UF's fuzziest fans, Albert and Alberta.
Members of this year's Gator Growl team also had the chance to add some new twists of their own to the show, some of which are a surprise, Jordan said.
"I can say that the opening of the show will be something you've never seen before," he said.
One new feature will be the biodiesel-powered generators that will power the show.
The fuel, made from vegetable oil, was purchased from UF's Physical Plant Division and is partly made with used cooking oil collected at Gator Dining facilities around campus, said Jeff Chenery, director of production at the O'Connell Center.
Other twists won't be revealed until Friday night.
And what if it rains?
The schedule won't change, Jordan said, but performances planned for the football field, like that of the Fightin' Gator Marching Band, will be moved onto the sheltered stage.
Attendees should remember to wear ponchos; umbrellas are not allowed in the stadium, he said.
"You're going to run into your speed bumps, but that's why you have backup plans," he said.
UF's new advertising campaign will also be unveiled at Gator Growl.
The campaign focuses on fans' first memories of becoming Gators, said Joe Hice, UF's associate vice president for marketing and public relations.
About 200 personal accounts have been gathered, and tonight's viewing will feature two of the campaign's commercials and a few vignettes.
Hice said he thought the campaign would make The Gator Nation more personal and show the state Legislature the impact of higher education.
"Quite honestly, it's hard to get people to shut up," he said. "I can't tell you how many guys I know that had a Gator cap on them the instant they were born."
