In conjunction with the Salt Bowl, local banks and credit unions in Saline County will once again host Arkansas’ Largest High School Tailgate Party. The event will be from 5 to 7:30 p.m. on the east side of War Memorial Stadium.

Free hot dogs, chips, and Coca-Cola will be available and each will have a tent set up along the drive into the stadium. Midtowne Church will sponsor a Family Fun Zone, complete with football throw, bounce house, and football bungee run.

There are also booth spaces available for others to showcase their business. Several spaces are available but are going fast. For more information, contact either the Benton Chamber of Commerce at 315-8272 or the Bryant Chamber of Commerce at 847-4702.

The new addition to this year’s Salt Bowl activities is a fundraiser for Arkansas Rice Depot.

Peanut butter and financial donations will be collected before the game at an Arkansas Rice Depot truck which will be located outside the stadium.

In advance of game night, donations can also be made at local bank and credit union branches. Both schools will also be holding fundraising events.

Thank  you to our corporate sponsors.  Shop local.  Buy local.

Sponsors for the 2009 Salt Bowl are Big Red Valero, Everett Buick-Pontiac-GMC, Jones Heating and Air, Sonic of Benton, Coca-Cola, Bryant Fitness Zone, Bryant Area Chamber of Commerce, Benton Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Saline County Economic Development Corporation.

Bryant Fitness Zone is again the sponsor of the Salt Bowl trophy and will also present a $500 check to the winning team to go into the Booster Club’s scholarship fund.

Each ticket has a coupon on the back for a buy-one-get-one-free burger at Sonic of Benton.

Little Rock, AR – The Press Conference to announce the 2009 Salt Bowl plans will be held at 1:30pm, August 11, 2009 at War Memorial Stadium. State Representative Shane Broadway will make the formal announcement which will officially kickoff the 2009 Salt Bowl schedule of events.

Activities around this event include the annual Benton Athletic Booster Club Fish Fry, Swarmfest in Bryant at Mills Park, the 2nd Annual Salt Bowl Golf Tournament at Longhills Golf Club and the largest high school tailgate party in Arkansas on the War Memorial Stadium parking lot.  The tailgate party will begin at 3:30 the day of the game, September 4th.

The Salt Bowl was established to feed the frenzy of the Benton/Bryant Football rivalry that has been a tradition for many years.

Unlike the past several years, the official Salt Bowl tshirts for 2009 are featured in school colors.

Yes, that means if you are a Bryant fan, you can now purchase a blue shirt… and if you are a Benton fan, you can now purchase a maroon shirt.

The decision to go with school color shirts this year stemmed from a meeting with Scott Neathery, Benton Athletic Director, Tom Farmer, Bryant Athletic Director, and team members from YourAdTeam, Shaun McFarland and Bradley Lattin.

“It seems awkward to be walking into a football game, or any sports event, and not be wearing your team colors,” says McFarland.  “Especially the Salt Bowl game!  If you have all white shirts, nobody really knows who is on the Bryant side and who is on the Benton side.  Let’s paint one side of War Memorial maroon and the other side of the stadium blue this year with the Official Salt Bowl shirts.”

The design of the shirts this year is credited to Lindsey Blakley, Senior at Bryant, and JoAnna Curtis, Senior at Benton.  A contest was held last year that allowed only the Junior class to enter so they would be Seniors the year the design was used.