CHICKASHA - The first Thursday in April holds special significance in Chickasha: USAO's Spring Triad. The day-long festival on the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma campus features live music, colorful chalk art, food and more. This year's Spring Triad is scheduled April 3.

Combining the Montmartre Chalk Art Contest, the Droverstock music festival and the statewide high school Scholastic Meet, the Spring Triad is a big hit for the university, Chickasha and surrounding communities. Last year's event drew more than 2,500 participants to the campus.

Melissa Losada, communication sophomore and Droverstock committee chair, said the day is focused on students. "I really love the idea of an event that is, for the most part, student-created," she said. "It gives the students the chance to try to bring out things we know and like."

The day begins with the Montmartre Chalk Art Contest, a colorful display that blankets the campus oval in vivid artwork by students of all ages. Last year's contest yielded more than 300 original chalk art drawings from more than 800 artists from across the state.

Contestants will be issued a six-by-six-feet numbered square on the campus oval, and cash awards will be given in four different categories by the USAO art department. More than $2,000 in cash prizes were awarded at last year's event. The chalk art contest is open to the public.

Jacquelyn Knapp, assistant professor of art, said the chalk art contest gives artists a great opportunity to express themselves.

"Because of its fun, unique approach, Montmartre offers a venue of artistic expression unlike any other event," she said. "It is a place for artists to show off their creative abilities, but it is also a place for participants to discover that they, themselves, are artists."

The event begins at 7:30 a.m. An entrance fee of $10 is required at registration, and only sidewalk chalk art and other temporary media such as charcoal are allowed. Registration is issued on a first-come, first-served basis. Judging will begin at noon with an awards ceremony following at 1:30 p.m.

A full listing of rules and regulations for the Montmartre competition are available on the USAO website at www.usao.edu/news in the "Contests & Competitions" column. Additional information is available from Knapp by e-mail at facknappj@usao.edu or telephone at (405) 574-1303.

The Droverstock music festival kicks off at 9 a.m. with live bands from across Oklahoma. From rock to blues to alternative, Droverstock's music lineup features returning guests Shortt Dogg and others, as well as several new groups, such as Midnight2twelve, Rockwell Social, Hush Hush, Commotion, Shelly Phelps Band and more.

In addition to live music, Droverstock features several free activities, such as inflatable games. New attractions include air brush tattoo vendors and more.

Various campus student clubs and organizations will be selling food at booths around the oval. To commemorate the event, Droverstock t-shirts will be available for $10.99 from the USAO Bookstore.

Droverstock is free and open to the public. More information is available online by clicking the Droverstock link under "Upcoming Events" at www.usao.edu/news.

The triad's third event is the USAO Scholastic Meet. With upwards of 1,200 students competing in academic disciplines such as math, science, music, history and other subjects, the competition is the largest academic meet in the state.