Street concert will welcome Sean Kingston
Musical artist Sean Kingston will perform Friday night to end the 2010-11 school year and cap off a three-day string of events before the stress of finals settles in.
The event has been in the planning stages since December, said Tom Atwood, ASUSU programming VP, and the specific details of the event have made for a busy few months. He said planning it has been time-consuming to make sure “everything is carefully executed” during the week.
It has been a collaborative effort, Atwood said, between the USU Bookstore, Admissions and officers in ASUSU. USU President Stan Albrecht and Logan City Mayor Randy Watts were also involved in regards to the street renaming, he said.
“Everyone has been on board to make this end of year bash happen, they all reached out to their respective social networks to make it all come together,” he said.
The renaming of 700 North and showcasing the local talent, such as Profetic and Battle School, is what Atwood said he is most excited about. At 8 p.m. on Friday, before Kingston takes the stage, Albrecht will be at the ribbon-cutting ceremony to unveil the new name for 700 North. The name has not been disclosed, but Atwood said it was chosen from different suggestions from students.
“There was about five different options that students suggested and what we decided seems like it is the general consensus with want the students wanted,” Atwood said.
Chase Casillas, activities director, said students should be excited about the renaming of the street because it is another thing that adds to Aggie pride.
“The city turned it over to us so we can have events like this, it is very exciting,” he said. “Students should be proud, it’s another thing you can add, another paramount to the university. We have the Spectrum, we have the football stadium, and now we have our own street.”
This event is the first event Casillas said he knows of where all the officers and members of ASUSU have planned it together, and because of this the planning has gone smoothly.
The end of year bash will start Wednesday night with a comedy show featuring student talent and main performer Pete Lee. Lee has been featured on Comedy Central and Last Comic Standing, and the show will be in the International Lounge at 7 p.m. Thursday there will be a showing of Back to the Future on Old Main hill at 7 p.m. Students should expect to have “bits of surprises here and there” because the show will be interactive. The movie, which was also shown at an event last year, will be moved to the TSC ballroom in case of bad weather.
“The movie goes along with the theme of the weekend, and I think everyone just loves that movie,” Casillas said.
Friday is the main day of the weekend celebration and will have what Atwood calls a festival-type feel throughout the day, with local vendors and booths lining 700 North.
“It is going to be like Day on the Quad, just transferred to the street,” Atwood said.
The day has been dubbed “Aggie Fest,” Casillas said, where students will be able to “get their party on before finals.”
The entertainment with local bands, including Falk, Battle School, Til We Have Faces, Profetic and The Fictionist will begin at 3 p.m. and continue on throughout the afternoon.
After Kingston performs, there will be a dance party with DJ Marcus Wing on the street until midnight to end the night, Casillas said.
ASUSU and others involved wanted to make sure the end of year event actually felt like a bash, Casillas said. He said last year ASUSU finished out the year with an extra $20,000, and those involved this year didn’t think it was fair to have students pay their fees and then not get to attend as many events because their money wasn’t spent. He said the funds are coming from the money they made back from the Howl and Mardi Gras as well as the Government Relations Council.
“We didn’t want to waste the money because all the rest of the money not spent goes to Capital and Support rather than staying in activities,” he said. “That is also why we made it free, as a big thank you.”
Brent Crosby, executive VP, said his role was securing the funding for the “once in a lifetime event” and students should be excited. He said being a part of the street renaming is being a part of USU history.
Crosby said he is confident the event will appeal to most audiences on campus. He said Kingston was chosen because they felt like he would appeal to more students and give more of a variety from the other musical talents that have come to school.
“I feel that this year programming has reached new levels and I feel like this bash will set the bar even higher,” he said.
– megan.b@aggiemail.usu.edu