Baylor’s Dr Pepper Hour Tour Kicks Off Spring Tour in Rio Grande Valley
One of the University’s oldest traditions, “best hour of the week” delivers free frozen treats to local high school students and Baylor Alumni families across the country
BROWNSVILLE, Texas (Feb. 26, 2024) – The best hour of the week – Baylor University’s Dr Pepper Hour – is in year three of its highly lauded Dr Pepper Hour Tour, delivering sweet treats and a VIP Baylor experience to high school students and Baylor Alumni families across the country. The five-week spring tour treads significant new ground, stretching the Baylor brand to Texas’ Rio Grande Valley, San Antonio, Memphis and Nashville.
Dr Pepper Hour – a tradition of Baylor University since 1953 – opens the first week of the spring tour in the Rio Grande Valley, visiting Brownsville’s St. Joseph Academy on Tuesday, February 27; South Texas ISD Science Academy in Mercedes on Wednesday, February 28; and Sharyland High School in Mission on Thursday, February 29.
The truck will make the long trek back to Waco in time for Saturday’s marquee matchup between the Baylor men’s basketball team and the visiting Kansas Jayhawks, setting up a picturesque activation to serve the raucous home crowd in front of the Paul and Alejandra Foster Pavilion.
“We wanted to extend the Baylor campus experience across the state and beyond by sharing this legendary Baylor treat with prospective students and our Baylor Alumni families,” explains Jason Cook, Baylor’s vice president for marketing and communications and chief marketing officer. “It’s such a unique tradition; where else do students enjoy free ice cream with their friends every week of their college experience?”
A custom Baylor and Dr Pepper-branded truck and trailer will cover the five-week spring tour, running February 27-March 28.
Building on the success of visits to high schools throughout the state and around the country, the University will work in additional family events to connect with Baylor Alumni that will be announced through regional alumni communications at a later date, delivering one of Baylor’s most beloved on-campus traditions directly to the communities that Baylor Alumni now call home.
At each stop, the trailer will create an authentic Baylor experience, including Baylor signage, Baylor Admissions counselors and a limited supply of Dr Pepper float kits. Each guest will be provided a Baylor-branded cup, ice cream and a can of Dr Pepper to help recreate the trademark on-campus gathering that Baylor students, faculty and staff continue to celebrate each week. Additional Baylor merch and giveaways will be available.
For more information, including a schedule of upcoming tour stops, a request function for future Dr Pepper Hour tour visits, Baylor admissions, the official Dr Pepper Hour recipes – including a gluten- and dairy-free style – and a video tutorial from Baylor President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D., and the First Family, visit DrPepperHourTour.com.
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 18,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 90 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.