Winding roads, unorthodox turns, and numerous traffic accidents and complaints once haunted the southwest corner next to Davis Wade Stadium. Not any more, thanks to one creative member of the Adam Telle administration. In six short months “Malfunction Junction” was transformed from the campus headache to one of the hottest tailgating spots on campus.
” I was riding my bike around campus one day,” former Student Association director of History and Traditions Jeff Ellis said, “ad I saw all the construction they were doing on the roads (at Malfunction Junction) and I thought that it would be a great place to develop a tailgating area. We never anticipated that it would become the campus icon that it has.”
Tailgating is the Southern ritual of gathering before a football game, usually in close proximity to the stadium, and fellowshipping until the game begins. Artful tailgating can turn a three-hour ballgame into an all-day affair.
“As a student I had always felt MSU was lacking in the ‘tailgating’ area. The Junction was a great was to get students out of their dorms on gameday, and we just could not pass up this prime real estate.”
With the facelift, The Junction will be the most widely known tailgating spot in the SEC in due time. Located in front of the Turman Field House and extending to Creelman St. to the South and Stone Blvd. to the west and Lloyd-Ricks to the east, all traffic is diverted in different directions. The Junction is fitted with new sidewalks, fresh green grass for the ideal atmosphere, and fully functional Junction “Johns” and “Janes” just a short walk away. Now with all the space right in front of the stadium, people now have easier access to each other instead of being scattered about around the campus.
“It’s going to be a lot of energy,” Student Association President J.R. Love said. “A lot of students and alumni will be out there.”
Adding to The Junction experience this season will be the new Cullis Wade Depot. The Barnes and Noble bookstore moved from the union to the Depot and shares the building with a clock museum and the welcome center. This helps pedestrian travel with the bookstore is just mere feet from the stadium. If someone is missing a piece of his or her Bulldog wardrobe, they would not have to walk to the Union, which is now closed for renovation.
Creelman St., Stone Blvd., and Hood Road were rerouted to maximize space for the Junction. During the summer is when the most visible progress was made. All streets running into the old Malfunction Junction were reopened at the beginning of August, and traffic runs much more smoothly through that area.
The grand opening of the Cullis Wade Depot will be on August 30 at 4 p.m. On the 31st the Junction will have its formal grand opening at 1:30 p.m. at Dr. Foglesong’s tent. The ribbon cutting begins at 2. A pep rally will be held at 4:30 to get ready for the season opener against SEC foe South Carolina. The game will be televised on ESPN, so the cameras will be at the Junction. WMSV Radio, the on-campus radio station will be broadcasting live from the patio of the Cullis Wade Depot.