For the first time in UF history, the Gator Nation will have a say in who entertains the thousands of orange-and-blue clad fans at Gator Growl.
Unlike years past, UF students and Gainesville community members now have a chance to vote for their favorite musical acts and comedians to appear at the Oct. 24 event.
Until Friday, voting will take place on campus at the Reitz Union and Turlington Plaza and also at Publix and Zaxby's.
The musical performers on the ballot are Sugarland, ZZ Top, O.A.R. and Third Eye Blind, while comedian prospects include Darrell Hammond, Demetri Martin, Dana Carvey and Jimmy Fallon.
The Growl production team is confident that they can match the students' decision monetarily, but whether the performers with most votes can make it depends on their schedule, said Growl spokesman Bryan Griffin.
If they can't attend, the Growl team will ask the runners up to perform.
Griffin said the production team felt that opening the voting to the public would be more appropriate than basing the decision on its own choice.
"We want the Gator Nation to feel as deserving as the football team," Griffin said.
In past years, the musicians and comedians for the show have been decided by "a more closed election process," Griffin said.
He said the production team may extend voting until Tuesday or Wednesday if it receives positive feedback from the voters.
Prior to the voting, a survey asked the public who it would like to perform at the 2009 show.
While it was only scheduled to last two weeks beginning on April 20, the production team extended the suggestion survey until May 18, Griffin said.
The committee has been trying to announce the voting to students by sending e-mails from the UF Listserv, but it has had technical difficulties.
Although Growl is mostly funded by sponsorships that won't be received until fall, the committee was able to come up with a ballpark figure based on last year's budget.
Because the production team could not determine the cost of potential performers, the committee was unable to offer voting until the sumer semester, Griffin said.
He attributed the fact that many musicians don't determine their fall tour dates until the summer as another reason for the voting delay.
The committee would have loved for the voting to take place in the spring, he said.
"We are trying to make it as accessible as possible," Griffin said about the voting.
Although an appearance at Growl 2009 has not been able to be confirmed as possible by any of the potential performers, the team does have a price estimate of what it can afford to pay them.
The theme for Growl 2009 is "Legends of the Swamp," honoring the senior class that brought UF two national championship titles.
Griffin said the Growl team is hoping to bring in former football players for the show.
"It's exciting and kind of bittersweet to say goodbye to the Gators that led us to two national championships," Griffin said. "We want to honor some of the big names in the Gator Nation."
