Ripon College Days

Media Credit: Photo courtesy www.thebigwu.com Wu hoo. The nationally recognized jam band, the Big Wu, will be headlining this year's Springfest. [Click to enlarge]

On the weekend of April 29-May 1, Ripon's upper campus will be transformed.

Carnival rides, a mechanical bull, a giant yellow slide and the world's largest 360 degree inflatable obstacle course will change Ripon from a quiet residential college weekend into a loud, exuberant, event-filled weekend.

Springfest is always one of the most eagerly anticipated events on campus. And this year will be no exception. In fact, the coordinators believe that it will be even more bustling than in past years.

"This year is guaranteed to be the biggest Springfest that anyone on campus has seen so far," says sophomore Shane Ebel, co-chair of SMAC's spotlight committee and one of the main coordinators of the event.

Sophomore Drew Davis, the other spotlight co-chair and event planner is equally enthusiastic about the weekend. "We're taking it to a whole new level this year," he says.

Much of this expansion is the result of Davis and Ebel's enthusiastic efforts. "Anytime I come into something, there's always room for improvement," says Davis. "And to me, bigger is always better."

In addition to these attractions, certain groups on campus will be providing booths with various activities. Ripon Outdoor Club will be sponsoring a four sided climbing wall and other groups like Alpha Delta Pi and Amnesty International will set up shop on the Union Lawn with smaller activities.

On top of the many activities and rides, music will play the largest role, as the nationally recognized band, The Big Wu, will headline Springfest on Saturday night, the 30st. On top of their many shows throughout the country, According to Ebel, The Big Wu just recently finished a week of performances on Last Call with Carson Daly.

The jam band formed on the campus of St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn. in the early '90's. They have had a large grassroots following since, and a number of ,usical styles have influenced them including such genres as bluegrass, rock, jazz, and psychedelia.

Notable original songs include Black Rain, Funky Bug and most recently Ghostbyrds, However The Big Wu has a large repertoire and performs various songs by John Prine, Eric Claprton, Phish, the Beatles and traditional folk and bluegrass songs, to name a few.

Other music will be performed live throughout the weekend including The Swing Crew, based out of Wisconsin Dells. They play a wide variety of music as well: classic rock, country, pop, swing, and "island beat". The Swing Crew will be spotlighted during the days.

Finally, The Response, self-described as power-pop meets metal, will be opening for The Big Wu on Saturday.

"The diversity of music is huge, and guaranteed to be fun all around," says Ebel.

There has been only one min concern in terms of the weekend, and that concern is in terms of security.

"The only concern that we have right now is that if it leaks out to other colleges that we're getting The Big Wu, we may get a much larger crowd than we could potentially handle," says Davis. "We're hoping to keep it at the campus level for the [sole] enjoyment of our students."

That is not to say, however, that the greater Ripon area will not be included in many of the other events. "The stuff we're bringing is also going to cater to the community, who we are trying to incorporate into our activities," says Davis.

But concerns are minimal, in comparision to the level of excitement springfest always brings.

"It's really nice to have one last weekend of fun before you have to start thinking about finals and the end of the year," says junior Michele Bergman.

The main goal of Springfest is to provide entertainment for Ripon College that is outside the often academically oriented activities. This is the one time of year that promotes only social events, and students from all woks of life come out to join in the festivities.

As Ebel puts it, "What really impresses me about Springfest is that it is really a unifying experience for all the students on campus."

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