Aurora Nicolas
Copy Editor
On Saturday, Sept. 12, Wooster saw lightning, thunder and heavy rain, which prompted the Wooster Activities Crew (WAC) to shift gears so that their event could still take place – rain or shine. Party on the Green is Wooster’s annual fall outdoor concert, historically including live music, snacks, inflatables and face paint. Originally, the event had been scheduled to take place on the residential quad from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., before the location was shifted to the academic quad. Even as forecasts began to look stormy, the first shift of volunteers set up tents, tables, chairs and other supplies, which were taken down as the rain began.
“It was just not safe to do it outside,” said Kaitlyn Shane ’27, the music director of WAC. “We could not do it on the academic quad because of lightning. And due to the amount of rain that we were getting, the inflatables would sink.” Through late morning and early afternoon there was a scramble to rearrange, but “it wasn’t like we were thinking we were going to have to cancel,” Shane said.
Party on the Green moved locations to McGaw Chapel, a last-minute change dually coordinated by Julia Zimmer, director of Student Engagement, and WAC advisor Jake Marion, director of Equity and Belonging. However, given the new location, there also had to be changes to the event itself. The inflatables, facepaint and popcorn were all cut from the event. It became a music-only experience and no food or drinks, including water, could be brought inside. There was a water station with red solo cups inside the venue. The event started at 7:15 p.m. and ended at 10 p.m, starting an hour later than originally scheduled. Once the doors opened, attendees were handed free postcards courtesy of opening band The Backfires, as well as free earplugs, provided by the department of communication sciences and disorders.
There was a last- minute social media push to let the student body know that the event was still on despite the gloomy weather, but attendance still saw a major plummet. The average estimate for the event historically was between 300 to 400 people, but this year the count was around 50 to 60 people.
McGaw Chapel was mostly empty and remained as such throughout the night. People came
and went, with few attendees staying for the whole event, but those who did were found in the front row.
Rowan Glenn ’30 said she was “pleasantly surprised by the band” and that there was ample opportunity to get really “up close and personal with the artists,” referring to the more
enclosed venue and smaller attendance.
The first 30 minutes had music from the College’s radio station, Woo 91, playing on the speakers while students gathered in pews and got ready for the event. Strobe lights lit up the room throughout the evening, creating a visual effect to go with the music. The Backfires, an indie rock band, were first to perform. They engaged with the audience, establishing banter that would lead into their next song, joking with each other onstage and dedicating a song about the one who got away to an audience member’s ex.
The Backfires were followed up by headliner MARIS and her drummer Tiger, who pulled most of the
crowd towards the front stage to create a mosh pit “for the girls.” She sang high-energy songs
that got the crowd jumping up and down, as well as lower energy ones that were more personal.
In a very rockstar fashion, MARIS also destroyed a guitar and handed out the pieces to her fans. It was pink and inflatable.
Attendees pulled out their phones to record, take photos and make video calls so that far away friends could be part of the experience. Near the end of the night, MARIS spoke about her new EP
“MOSH*PIT.”
At the end of the night attendees filed out, getting water and cooling off after working up a sweat
in the mosh pit.