The Battle of the Boulevard Block Party

The night of the battle of the boulevard arrived and Bisons fans celebrated before the big game at the Lipscomb Block Party. Students, teachers, parents, and fans all gathered outside Allen Arena for the evening’s festivities. The block party featured everything from a live band, fun games, good food and there even was a car to smash and destroy. The block party has become an annual tradition whenever Lipscomb host Belmont in basketball.

The Battle of the Boulevard is the equivalent of the Super Bowl for Lipscomb and Belmont in this area of Nashville, Tenn. Entering the night, the all-time series was tied at 76 wins apiece across 153 total games (including one tie), pushing tension through the roof. Everyone was pumped for the matchup, and the energy around the festivities was palpable. Lipscomb student Logan Anderson, a mechanical engineering major and cheerleader, spoke about his excitement for the upcoming game.

“As a part of the cheer team, I love it bro.” Anderson said, “It’s going to be so much fun. Like, it’s versus Belmont so it will be sold out.”

The night’s theme was a “purple out” and everyone attending sported their purple Bison apparel. Even a furry friend “Millie” joined in on the fun in her purple harness in support of Lipscomb basketball. 

When walking into the event, to the right of everything was a stage and a band playing music all night. To the left there were tents and tables to advertise all of the different social clubs. In the center of the action, students played corn hole or roasted marshmallows and made s’mores. 

A major draw of the event was the dinner that was served at the Block Party. The first 50 commuter students to arrive received a free meal for the night. There were tents and benches outside the stadium and tables in the back of Allen Arena for everyone to eat. The highlights of the night’s menu featured chicken siders with loads of different toppings, Mac and cheese and chicken tenders. 

The Sigma Iota Delta (SID) social club stole the show at the Block party by bringing a car to be smashed with sledgehammers. Bisons students waited in line to vent their anger out on their rival school. Students taking turns destroying a vehicle, which had the words “Beat Belmont” painted on the side of the car. Anderson got his hands on a sledgehammer and loved it.

 “I already smashed the car,” Anderson said, “It was definitely the best part of my day.”

There was so much fun to be had at the Block Party and the students could not wait for the game to begin. Everyone enjoyed the food, the games and showed an overwhelming amount of school spirit. But the biggest win was how everyone came together to enjoy a fun night with their friends. Emma Stueck a marketing and management major, shared what she enjoyed most about the evening.

“My favorite part is that I get an excuse to see my friends and hang out with everybody.” Stueck said at the block party.

Once students finished eating and playing games, they filed into Allen Arena as tipoff approached. Bisons fans filled with school spirit took that energy to help strengthen a huge win for the school. The Bisons took down Belmont 88-75 and officially captured the boulevard.

Featured Image taken by Noah Moran