Eastern Michigan University students and Ypsilanti citizens came out on Saturday, Sept. 15 at University Park and the Student Center patio to enjoy the festive activities of Campus Jam, hosted by Campus Life. The night was filled with fun, excitement, live music and free food.
Live musical entertainment included The Dan Rafferty Band from Detroit, Mich. They are an eight-piece band, hip to musical genres such as hip-hop, R&B, top 40 and modern rock. They even jam to old school music that kept everyone engaged, dancing and in good spirits. The Dan Rafferty Band provides live entertainment for weddings, bars and clubs, corporate functions, private parties or any other event upon request.
The band had Campus Jam attendees dancing, singing along and nodding their heads to current hits.
Derek Rafferty, the emcee of The Dan Rafferty Band, was very connected to the audience and kept an upbeat personality. He even came down from the stage to interact with attendees as he was performing, which wowed the crowd.
In addition to the live band, Campus Life had various food options and venues for all to enjoy. Choices included elephant ears, cotton candy, snow cones, hot dogs, burgers, soft drinks and water to name a few, courtesy of EMU dining and catering services. And yes, the food was free and quite delicious.
However, one elementary school student said, “I didn’t like the elephant ears. It wasn’t sweet enough.”
Campus Jam was also filled with amusing activities such as a dunk tank, ring toss, shuffle board, bounce hoops, ski ball, jousting, rock wall climbing, bean toss, high striker and krazy cans. After individuals completed each game successfully, the winner received tickets to redeem for prizes ranging from clothing to toys and a few things in between.
When it came time to conquer the rock wall climbing event, EMU junior Kayln Griffin faced the challenge to reach the top despite her fear of heights.
“[I] felt like I accomplished something,” Griffin said. “I’ll do it again [in the future] for sure.”
Katty Bidoul, an EMU senior, participated in the jousting event. The duel required each competitor to stand on a plush platform and knock their opponent down using a large pillow-like rod.
Bidoul said, “It’s really fun. It’s harder than you think [to balance and knock the other person down]. The platform was shaky.”
To complete this festive occasion, there was an outdoor movie showing of “Rock of Ages” at University Park.
For those who are unfamiliar with the movie or did not attend, it stars Alec Baldwin, Tom Cruise, Julianne Hough, Russell Brand and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Set in 1987 Los Angeles, the film is about two young people pursuing their dreams in the music industry accompanied by tribulations, humor and an awesome playlist.
The movie at University Park was a good opportunity to catch a flick with friends or go out on a date. The cool, crisp air of the night plus a movie sounds similar to a night at the drive-in. But fortunately, no one had to purchase tickets and food.
