On Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, Wheaton students were giddy with excitement as they traversed the campus in shorts, t-shirts, and rain jackets. Even as a steady mist fell on the Dimple, people excitedly traversed from food in Emerson, to food trucks in the field in front of the library and to the various activities in Balfour.
Spring Weekend started on Thursday with The Ablendgers Assemble Jam, a superhero-themed a cappella performance with musical covers of both pop and oldies. Dimple Divers also performed that night to a supportive audience in Emerson Dining Hall. Also, the indie band The Tins from Buffalo, N.Y. performed in Balfour and gained uproarious applause to their indie rendition of the hit song “Let It Go” from Frozen. Those who were up to it also participated in Cosmic Karaoke.
On Friday, the Head of the Peacock Regatta regaled students as they watched from a sunny Chapel Field. Some boats – such as one created by freshmen Colin Coco ’17, Forest Smock ’17, and Dan Dickerson ’17 – sunk immediately. Others – such as some created by Outdoors House and Women’s Synchronized Swimming Team – were very competitive. The Women’s Synchronized Swimming team won with a clever racing boat.
After the race finished, students could jump in an inflatable obstacle course, buy Tints sunglasses created by student business leaders, and dance to the tunes of Wheaton’s steel pan band The Lymin’ Lyons and Reptar, who define their influences as “disco, space, the dream operator, and noise” on their Facebook page. In the evening, students went to Chase for Moonwalk to the Middle East, with Mediterranean food sponsored by Aramark and hookahs sponsored by Middle East Awareness Club.
Of course, Chiddy Bang performed Friday night after student DJs Kevin A. Gil ’16, Josh Gomez ’15, and David Gassen ’16. The rapper performed for over an hour, a significantly long period of time for someone spitting out rhymes. He also expressed enthusiasm for the campus and freestyled about topics students churned out such as Trybe. While there was a long wait time before he came on, he delivered an enjoyable concert that involved the audience.
On Saturday, activities, besides the food trucks, commenced indoors. There was a beer garden, an Instagram printing station, a smoothie area, an inflatable bungee run, and a concert with The Skins, a fun indie band with a strong female lead singer.
That night, students could dance in Balfour to a silent rave. Many students, such as Ian Curran ’17, appreciated the ability to dance with headphones in.
“It was a completely unique experience and provided a whole different atmosphere from the Chiddy concert the previous night. It gave you complete control of the experience but didn’t take away from all the social and energetic aspects you expect of a loud speaker dance,” he said.
Finally, students could wind down at the Lyon’s Den with a brunch of hot breakfast and made-to-order omelettes, while surrounded by the sounds of Lux Deluxe and Wheaton’s own Electric Animal.
Overall, Spring Weekend 2014 was a success, thanks to Bailey McWilliam ’14 and the Programming Council’s hard work despite cancellations and weather.