CORRECTION: In last week’s news article about Springfest, we reported that security would put up a fence in order to keep people from coming and going. In fact, the fence was constructed to keep the crowd from touching the performers. Also, C.O.W. cards were not required to enter the event. John Forte was also scheduled to appear but due to conflicts, did not end up performing. An editor erred.
As the end of the school year comes to a close, students and faculty have turned their attention to the highly anticipated Springfest 2010. Some people may be aware that the College of Wooster and W.A.C. have turned up the heat this year by adding arguably the most well-known artists the school may have ever seen.
This years Springfest will feature world-famous music artists, Wale, K’naan and recently announced John Forte. Wale, who has produced hits like “Chillin'” and “Pretty Girls” embodies a new hip-hop vibe while incorportaing other pop and rap artists into his work. K’Naan is a Somali-Canadian artist who self-describes his music as being “a sound that fuses Bob Marley, conscious American hip hop, and brilliant protest poetry.” John Forte is an acoustic artist† who has been touring with Wale and K’naan for several months now. Both K’naan and Forte are coming to campus essentially cost-free because the three artists have been currently touring together. This is a huge deal for the† College, who in the past is accustomed to having much smaller artists be featured during both Party on the Green and Springfest. The buzz on campus is growing and although Saturday will be a great time to celebrate, the school has also taken into account the new risks that having bigger artists poses.
W.A.C. President Grainne Carlin ’11 said “security will be putting up a fence in order to keep people from coming and going easily.” This will mean that there is only one entrance that people can go in and out of, decreasing the chance that non-students or employees will gain access. Carlin also noted that “alcohol will not be supplied,” this year because that requires an additional amount of security that the group does not want to have to worry about. In the past, only a few security officers and W.A.C. members ran Springfest, but this year will be staffed by the entire security team including the head of security, the entire W.A.C. staff and the police will be on stand-by in case they are needed to assist. The Office of Security has had several meetings prior to discuss the risks that Springfest poses and ways in which to deal with it.
W.A.C. is anticipating an attendance of not only Wooster students, but also students from neighboring schools like Denison, Ohio Wesleyan and Wittenberg. In addition, there is a high probability that non-students and citizens of the surrounding communities will show up to the event. Although the College limits Springfest to College of Wooster students and employees, there is no process that distinguishes them from others. This means that the College has instituted a higher level of security to ensure the safety of both the students and the artists performing.
The W.A.C. members running the event will be checking COW cards to help distinguish students and also keep crowd control at a minimum. Other members along with security will be in charge of escorting Wale and K’Naan at all times to make sure that their exposure to outside forces is as minimal as possible.
The school has put a lot of thought into what would appeal to everyone. Student artists P-10, Freddie Cool and Red Wire will be performing before the headliners starting at 6 p.m. While John Forte has a half an hour set, both K’naan and Wale will both be on-stage for an hour. In additon to musical acts, there will also be jousting, the bungee run, a Velcro wall and a character artist. First-Years for Haiti will be operating a dunk tank with proceeds going towards Haitian relfef. Food and beverages will also be served. W.A.C. would like to remind the community that no flash photography or video will be permitted during the event as it could be a breach of contract. That being said, Saturday will be one of the most anticipated Springfests that the College has ever seen.