SALINE COUNTY, Ark. — One week from Friday, Benton and Bryant will go head-to-head at the Salt Bowl.
The community tradition ended abruptly with a scare last year when fans thought they heard gunfire and scrambled out of the stadium.
Many people were separated from their friends and family, including a young cheerleading organization called 'Empire Cheer' from Benton.
"We always go out on the field before the game,” said Brooke Plack, owner of Empire.
“The panic definitely set in,” said Candice Wilons, an Empire Cheer mom.
“One of my 5-year-old daughter’s friends was locked in a concession stand for 30 to 45 minutes not able to see, but only hear the commotion. That was very scary," she explained.
The Empire squads are gearing up for their annual Salt Bowl pre-game performances.
"We want our parents to feel confident in the event," said Plack. "That is not a situation any of us want to relive."
So, Plack implemented a new safety measure of her own.
"We have a wrist band system that our cheerleading director has put into place,” she said.
The wrist bands are blue with the printing ‘Empire Cheer Contact’ on them.
Every Empire athlete will get a band, and their parent's phone number will be written on them.
"If you find my kid at the event, you can easily contact me and we can reconnect,” said Wilons.
The gym met with the Salt Bowl Committee this week, where Plack learned about extra security measures put in place for the game.
She said those measures include metal detectors at the entrance of the stadium, 100 on-duty officers, some without uniforms, a uniformed officer in every seating section, and a new cohesive communication system between all law enforcement agencies on duty.
"Security personnel that our tax dollars go to have worked very hard and diligent, and their number one priority Friday night is to keep our kids safe and for us to have a great game,” said Plack.
War Memorial Stadium has a strict security policy for the Salt Bowl.
You can head to saltbowlar.com for a list of permitted and prohibited items on game day.