UCA’s mascots, Bruce and Sugar, celebrated their fifth birthday on Jan. 15 at the UCA Amphitheater.
The event, held from 1:40 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., brought together students, music, and free cake to kick off the spring semester with school spirit and community.
“I love it. I’m gonna give it a 10 out of 10,” sophomore Laney Bounds said.
The event was organized within the framework of campus events by The Bear Den.
Since the celebration was open to all students and did not require prior registration, Bruce and Sugar walked through the amphitheater area and invited passing students to join the celebration.
According to Bear Den President Kaddie Bailey, the celebration has become a tradition.
“This is the fifth annual for Bruce and Sugar’s birthday. It started before my time as Bear Dean president,” Bailey said.
“It’s a way to welcome students back on campus. Get them in the flow and get them together because everyone loves the mascots,” Bailey said.
Sharing the feeling after joining this event twice, Bounds said she could not stop smiling.
Bounds shared that events like this help build school spirit.
“It’s so great because you get to see like a bunch of spirits. It’s cool to have a mascot set to actually interact with students,” Bounds said.
Many students took photos with Bruce and Sugar, danced, laughed, and socialized with friends during the break between classes.
Beyond cake and photos, the event served a larger purpose for campus life.
“We do it pretty much the same way as last year, with cakes, music, allowing people to take pictures with them, meet them, during the time when they don’t have classes to come and relax,” Bailey said.
Attendance fluctuated as students arrived and left between classes. Overall, more than 50 students gathered to celebrate.
Students sang “Happy Birthday” to the mascots before lining up to enjoy birthday cake.
They had chocolate and vanilla cakes that offered students flavor choices.
“I came last year. It was so fun. Their cakes are delicious,” graduate student Anniston Ross said.
Ross said she attended the celebration for the second year in a row.
Bailey also said that the identities of the students inside the mascot costumes are never revealed, keeping the focus on the mascots themselves.
“We don’t ever review who they are (students under the mascots) so no one ever knows,” she said.
As Bruce and Sugar continue their role as symbols of UCA pride, their fifth birthday celebration provided a fun and unifying moment for the campus community.
