Busy weekend ‘very successful’
Published 5:47 pm Monday, October 28, 2024
Oxford saw an influx of visitors this past weekend, along with a few star sightings as well.
Record crowds filled Vaught-Hemingway Stadium as Ole Miss faced off against the Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday.
Fans gathered from near and far, with some city officials estimating more than 200,000 people came to Oxford. According to Ole Miss Football, there were 67,926 people inside the Vaught for the game.
Adding to the excitement, actor Kevin Costner was spotted around town, capturing the attention of locals and visitors alike, including head football Coach Lane Kiffin who posted a photo on X (formerly Twitter) Saturday of himself with Costner with the tagline, “If you build it, they will come.”
Costner replied to Kiffin’s post and said, “Thanks for having us!”
Others posted various photos of Costner who was spotted in the Grove before the game and on the downtown Square on Friday night. He was in town with his son to tour Ole Miss.
Oxford Mayor Robyn Tannehill said the weekend was “perfect.”
“We had really large crowds on campus and all over town and it went beautifully,” she said. “Our city team does so much work to prepare for the crowds and it pays off. I heard compliments all weekend about the beauty and safety of our community.”
Tannehill added that she “sadly” did not get to meet Costner.
The Oxford Police Department reported a relatively smooth weekend despite the high volume of activity. Officers responded to 31 traffic incidents and made nine DUI arrests, along with nine arrests for public drunkenness. Police also set up safety checkpoints to ensure the well-being of residents and visitors.
Chief Jeff McCutchen described the weekend as “very successful,” noting that the large number of visitors posed minimal issues.
“We had a good weekend,” he said. “We had very few incidents to report.”