By Meredith Pratt | Staff Writer, Video by Sarah Gill | Broadcast Reporter
Sadie Robertson of Duck Dynasty fame will stop at Baylor on Feb. 9 as a part of her 2020 College Tour. She will host a night of worship and deliver a message to all in attendance. The free event will be held at 6 p.m. at Common Grounds.
The 22-year-old gained fame when her family was featured on the A&E show “Duck Dynasty.” Since then, Robertson has gone on several speaking tours, written six books and worked on creating an online Christian community for girls using her platform Live Original.
Stony Brook, N.Y., sophomore Hannah Detwiler said she was very excited when Robertson’s appearance was announced, and quickly reposted Live Original’s story about the Baylor tour date on her Instagram.
“When I heard Sadie was coming, I honestly screamed,” Detwiler said. “I’ve looked up to Sadie since I was in high school.”
Detwiler said Robertson’s books “really spoke to her” during her high school years, and she now listens to Robertson’s podcasts while she gets ready in the morning.
“She’s such an incredible role model for everyone, but especially women my age,” Detwiler said. “She preaches and shows the love of God in herself in such a refreshing way.”
Tickets will not be required for entry to Robertson’s event, so doors will close when the Common Grounds capacity is met. The Live Original announcement said they will be taking cash donations at the door.
“When I heard it was at Common Grounds, I was honestly planning on spending the day there to get a good spot in line, but I found out I have some other responsibilities that day, so I’m having someone wait in line for me until I can get there,” Detwiler said. “It’s going to be crazy, especially since it’s free and at such a small venue.”
Hayden Smith, venue manager for Common Grounds, said the managers for Robertson’s tour reached out to him in November about booking the location.
“They’re trying to reach out to college students, and it helps that we’re 20 feet away from the world’s largest Baptist university,” Smith said.
Smith said that Common Grounds’ policy is to stop selling tickets when they reach 800 people, but they have “no idea what the turn out for this event will be” since tickets are not being sold.
Live Original has announced two other tour locations so far, including the University of Oklahoma and Texas Christian University.
Robertson and Live Original both declined to comment about the upcoming Baylor event.
