Once again, the Drake Relays have come and gone. But as everyone knows, Relays is more than just the events in the stadium. It’s a weeklong celebration on Drake’s campus, involving students, faculty, athletes, and the community. It’s easily one of the best times of the year to be in Des Moines, and especially to be on Drake’s campus. If you’re interested in planning a trip to Iowa next year to get in on the action, here are some of the best events you can expect to see taking place during Relays.

1. Street Painting

I covered the highs and lows of street painting last week, but it’s easily one of the best student traditions of the year. Student organizations gather on Friday afternoon to re-paint Drake’s painted street, and we throw paint at each other while we’re at it in a massive paint fight. Once we’re done, painted street is brighter than ever, ready for a new year on campus.

2. The Beautiful Bulldog Contest

Every year, there’s a pole vault event before the actual competition begins in the stadium, and it always takes place somewhere off campus. This year, pole vaulting went indoors to Capital Square, the open lobby of an office park downtown. In the past, it’s taken place on Court Avenue and in Jordan Creek Mall, but no matter where the location, it’s always a site to see. World-class pole-vaulters prepare for the weekend’s competition in a friendly contest to see who comes out on top. Even if you’re not a sports fan, I don’t know of anyone who wouldn’t enjoy seeing the men’s world champion in pole-vaulting clearing an bar that’s over 18 feet high—inside an office building, no less.

4. The Actual Relays

Sometimes it’s difficult to remember that there are actual athletic competitions taking place during Relays, especially considering all of the other fun distractions. But it’s always fun to see what’s going on the stadium—world-class and Olympic athletes compete at the Drake Relays, and there’s almost always some kind of record broken each year. A highlight of the Relays is a recent addition—the Paralympic race. Seeing David Brown, a blind world-class sprinter running 200 meters in synch with his guide, Jerome Avery, was definitely a highlight of the week.