Here are some key Picnic Day basics: Wear good walking shoes, put on plenty of sunscreen — and, above all — don’t spoil this 98-year-old open house, for yourself or others.

Fraternities and sororities are doing their part, by pledging "to promote a healthy and safe environment.” See separate story.

And new Police Chief Matt Carmichael has this message for the campus as a whole: Zero tolerance for alcohol offenses. In other words, no warnings.

Off campus, the city of Davis this year has expanded its special safety enhancement zone where fines are doubled for specific violations on Picnic Day weekend. Targeted activities include violations of noise and open container ordinances, urinating in public and smoking where banned.

The expansion takes in the neighborhoods just north of the campus, between Anderson Road and A Street, and Eighth Street and Russell Boulevard. The zone already included downtown: an area bounded by A Street on the west and the railroad tracks on the east, Eighth Street on the north and First Street on the south.

Carmichael, sworn in April 19 as chief after five months as acting chief, said Picnic Day-goers will see plenty of bicycle officers around. Bikes offer better mobility around the central campus, he said, and bring officers in closer contact with the public.

Large events like Picnic Day bring the potential for crime. Said Carmichael: Leave valuable items at home; if you drive to Picnic Day, lock your car; if you cycle, lock your bicycle to a secure object with a good quality lock.

More Picnic Day basics:

• The theme — “Then. Now. Always.”

• The forecast — A clear sky and a high temperature of 90 degrees, with winds from the north at 5 to 10 mph.

• Parking — Free on campus on Picnic Day. Almost all lots will be open to the public, with reserved areas open to the public beginning at noon. If you arrive by 10 a.m., you should be able to park on campus. Otherwise, you may need to park on nearby streets, off campus.

• First event — 29th annual Picnic Day Pancake Breakfast, 7:30-9:30 a.m., Freeborn Hall.

• Last event — Battle of the Bands, 2–10 p.m., Lake Spafford. Featuring the Cal Aggie Marching Band-uh and other university bands from around California.

• In between — Hundreds of events and exhibits, including science demonstrations, animals, tractors, fashion show, music and dance, Multicultural Children's Faire and Student Organization Faire, and all kinds of food (including the Olive Center's brand-new roasted garlic olive oil).

• Exhibitions — Open houses and special hours are planned in conjunction with ongoing spring exhibitions at campus art venues. Read more.

• Alumni Zone — Vanderhoef Quad, at the campus’s south entry.

• The parade — Opening ceremonies are scheduled to begin just before 9:30 a.m. at the grandstands on North Quad Avenue outside Wickson Hall.

• The parade marshals (all alumni) — Ruth Asmundson, Ph.D. ’72, former mayor of Davis; Rich Engel ’90, Cred. ’91, assistant vice chancellor for Alumni Relations and executive director of the Cal Aggie Alumni Association; and Cathy West ‘77, Olympic gold medalist in swimming (1972) who now teaches at Pioneer Elementary School, Davis.

More information

Online: picnicday.ucdavis.edu

You can also check out eventfol.io (notice the dot between the "l" and the "i"), where all of the Picnic Day events will be listed and mapped. Eventfol.io is optimized for smartphones.

The just released UC Davis mobile app (version 2.2.0) includes a home page link to eventfol.io. More information on the UC Davis mobile app, including the download link (free).

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