Bozeman, Mont. — Montana State University is gearing up for another exciting school year and football season, as classes and competition are right around the corner.
While students return to campus on Sunday to move into the dorms, MSU took to the streets of downtown Bozeman to spread some school spirit with the 14th annual Cat Walk.
The event turned downtown into a show of blue and gold, as the walk celebrates the ties between MSU and the broader Bozeman community.
For local businesses, the event also carries real value in the community.
"To the business its everything. It brings all the alumni in, it brings students in, it brings parents in. Hopefully we just keep expanding and bringing more new Bobcat fans in. I mean, we have all the old Bobcat fans; we're still there, we're still a team and we're still a family, so" said Tana Koelzer, owner of The Cannery Lounge.
As MSU fans can attest, Cat Walk began 14 years ago and has only continued to grow since it began.
"It's grown immensely. It started out, you know, walking down the street with the members of the band, some of the team members, obviously some of the personnel, the athletic department, the President, different people. But now, I mean, when they start this Cat Walk, people from town join in and walk with the group, which is really phenomenal," said Patty Kicker, a Montana State football fan.
The route took MSU fans, faculty, staff and Bobcat athletes to local businesses along main street while the fight song played along the way. Fans also had a chance to meet athletes and get autographs, during a brief 20-minute stop at soroptimist park.
As the school year and football season get underway shortly, local business owners are hoping the new beginnings will create a sense of community within the Gallatin Valley.
"We foster that. We try to be a place where they're comfortable and a home away from home so that they can come in here and hang out and be around friends that support the Bobcats all together," said Tana Koelzer.
For more information about the 2026 MSU Cat Walk, visit www.montana.edu.