It took five students, a small idea and a whole lot of planning and work for the University to finally have its first five-day University-based festival.
The festival, which began Wednesday, is a celebration of music, art, culture, food and campus life, an event which organizers call a “catalyst for students to explore, discover, create.”
The celebration begins with the biannual ASUO Street Faire — this time even bigger than before — featuring a cappella groups, KWVA DJs, and student groups and clubs.@@http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/biannual@@
Artists will be doing “live paintings” at the Faire, painting murals to incorporate the festival’s “explore, discover, create” theme.
The rest of the week will showcase many different activities, culminating with two main events: the KWVA Birthday Bash featuring RJD2 and the Willamette Valley Music Festival, featuring many artists, namely A-Trak and Yeasayer.
ASUO Campus Outreach Coordinator Brian Allen, who dealt with the logistics and advertising for Mallard Madness, said that the idea of an end-of-the-year concert eventually morphed into a week-long arts and culture festival — an event that every student could enjoy.@@http://asuo.uoregon.edu/executive.php?a=12#toc56@@
“We want them to have a place where they felt like they were a Duck,” Allen said.
The main objective of the festival is to give students pride. The organizers hope to do this, in part, by showcasing campus groups and clubs.
Throughout the day on Thursday, there will be a showcase of student activity as an opportunity for students to explore new programs.
The organizers will also be featuring Twitter giveaways sponsored by Tactics and a few other companies. At the Tactics booth, students can also take their photo with some employees dressed up in Yeti costumes and claim their photos on Facebook.
The festival is also going to feature specific groups and clubs such as Fraternity and Sorority Life, the Native American Student Union with a Mother’s Day Pow Wow, the Arab Student Union with its Arabian Nights event, and Mallard Madness will also be highlighting specific sport events like the Twilight Track Meet on Friday.@@http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/powwow@@ @@http://photos.oregonlive.com/oregonian/2009/05/twilight_track_meet.html@@
Lex Chase, KWVA events coordinator, hopes that by featuring a variety of fun around campus, students can find out what being a Duck means to them.
“There are hidden opportunities tucked away in campus,” Chase said. “‘Explore, discover, and create.’ We want students to pursue those ideas with that.”
The main draw of the festival will likely be the big-name musicians performing at the KWVA Birthday Bash and the Willamette Valley Music Festival.
Although in years past the Willamette Valley Music Festival has featured more regional and local artists, this year, with a bigger budget in hand, the organizers were able to bring A-Trak, Yeasayer and other artists to campus. With the artists’ eclectic music style, Chase thinks that the concerts will appeal to a diverse crowd.
But even if the concerts don’t appeal to everyone, the several different events are aimed at creating memories and opportunities of discovery for students with all kinds of interests.
“Everyone has some type of Duck swag,” Chase said. “Find your Duck swag.”