Photo by Jenny Kirk Purple signs displayed along Main Street in downtown Marshall highlight the upcoming Minnesota Vikings Town Takeover, with several activities slated to take place on Friday and Saturday throughout the Marshall community.

MARSHALL — While Marshall is well-known for its school colors of orange and black, people are likely going to see a lot of purple and gold on Friday and Saturday as representatives of the Minnesota Vikings “take over” the community.

Several different activities will be taking place throughout the community as a result of Marshall High School being named Minnesota’s Football Program of the Year and for winning the In the Game Award from the Minnesota Vikings and Innovative Office Solutions.

“The Minnesota Vikings will be taking over Marshall on Friday, April 13 and Saturday, April 14 to celebrate the Marshall Tigers football program being named their 2017 Minnesota Football Program of the Year,” head coach Terry Bahlmann said. “There are a lot of exciting events that will be taking place on these two days. It should be a lot of fun for all ages.”

Along with free autograph sessions, youth football clinics, elementary school visits and much more, there will be a Town Takeover Festival that will include the presentation of a $10,000 check to the football program, a bean bag tournament and other activities. Vikings players, cheerleaders and mascot will be in attendance at the festival, which takes place from noon-3 p.m. Saturday at the Southwest Minnesota State University R/A Facility.

“It is a really nice honor for our football program and community to be recognized statewide as the Vikings’ High School Program of the Year,” Bahlmann said. “Besides the honor of being recognized, there is a check for $10,000 to our football program and any proceeds from the events on Friday also go to the program. There are a lot of people that work hard to help make our Marshall football program special and it always nice to be recognized statewide for that hard work.”

Vinyl banners on display in the downtown Marshall area are the first signs of the upcoming takeover.

Downtown businesses are also being asked to participate in a decorating contest — especially by decorating their storefronts. The winner of the contest will receive a personalized jersey from the Vikings.

“It’s a really great event for our downtown,” said Darin Rahm, Marshall Area Convention and Visitor Bureau director. “The decorating contest is for downtown businesses to participate and really get into the theme of the takeover for the weekend. It’s a chance for everyone to show their purple pride.”

Friday events begin at 9 a.m. A three-hour live KFAN radio broadcast with Paul Allen is scheduled at the Wooden Nickel. Viktor the Viking will also make an appearance, highlighting the Fuel Up to Play 60 program, for students at Park Side Elementary School. Viktor is slated to make a stop at West Side Elementary in the afternoon.

From 12:30-2:30 p.m., there will be a free business luncheon at Brau Brothers Brewing Company presented by Schwan’s Company. The speakers include Minnesota Vikings representatives Dannon Hulskotter, vice president of marketing and fan engagement, and Karin Nelson, vice president of legal and human resources, as well as representatives from InSports and Innovative Office Solutions. Space is limited, so people are asked to register online though Marshall Area Chamber of Commerce.

From 5:30-9 p.m., the Marshall M-Club is sponsoring a fundraising event — held at different locations in the community. Varsity Pub will host a Vikings player signing in addition to a raffle and silent auction from 5:30-7 p.m. The Gambler will host a similar event from 7-8 p.m., as will Fuzzy’s from 8-9 p.m.

“The player autographs will be free,” Rahm said. “There’ll be three points of access for the autographs on Friday night. These are all family events, so kids are welcome.”

Bahlmann said all proceeds will go to the Marshall football program.

“The fundraising comes through events Friday night at the various locations by the autograph signings, silent auction, trivia and more,” he said.

On Saturday morning, Vikings InSports football clinics will take place at Marshall High School. The clinics will be led by former Vikings linebacker EJ Henderson, current Vikings players and the MHS football team. Space is limited. To register, call 952-918-8545.

The cost-free football clinic for students in grades K-5 is from 9-10:30 a.m. The clinic for students in grades 6-9 is from 10-11:30 a.m.

The journey that led to the statewide recognition began many months ago — maybe even years ago. A Marshall High School parent submitted the nomination near the beginning of the 2017 football season, noting that the Tiger team had given community a reason to cheer the previous year and had set the bar high for the upcoming season as well.

The parent stated that the 2016 team had enjoyed one of its best years, finishing the season with an 11-1 record and an appearance in the state semifinals.

“From the 3,700 fans who attended the Tigers’ spine-tingling win over Hutchinson to the nearly 150 businesses who financially sponsor the team, the community believes that phrase (It’s a Great Day to be a Tiger) and finds many ways to ‘Get in the Game,'” she said in the nomination letter.

The parent went on to say that the Tiger students embody a positive attitude of leadership, giving the entire community a sense of pride. She added that the players and fans unify to represent their community with exemplary sportsmanship and class.

“The Tigers have a way of strengthening Marshall through the spirit of the game,” she said.

Once MHS was nominated, community members were encouraged to share Tiger football photos and messages to social media using #MarshallHighSchool and #InTheGame to promote the nomination. Innovative Office Solutions and the Minnesota Vikings kept an eye on all nominees throughout the season, looking for community involvement through the hashtag postings.

“Our Booster Club (M Club) applied and they followed us at our games and through social media during the fall,” Bahlmann said. “The Vikings came out and announced that we were the winner at our game with Jordan — the last regular-season game.”

MHS defeated Jordan 76-34 on Oct. 18, closing out a perfect regular season with an 8-0 record. The Tigers advanced to the State Class AAAA tournament again but fell to South St. Paul in the first round of competition.

“I think it’s great that they’ve started to bring this great event to culmination,” Rahm said. “It started last fall, with them coming down and telling Marshall that they’d won the award and will culminate with the presenting of the check this weekend. This part of the event is really unique in the fact that, not only are they presenting a check to the Booster Club, but they’re giving the community a chance to support the Booster Club through the silent auctions and raffles. Businesses have really stepped up to help with those.”