Live Music, Games, Competitions, 24-Hour Play Festival Are All Part of Week of Welcome
Aug. 18, 2011 -- Western State College of Colorado (WSC) will soon be back in full swing with the start of fall semester on Aug. 22.
Western will kick-off its Week of Welcome (WOW) activities on Saturday, Aug. 20 with the WOW Downtown Community Party at 5 p.m. at the corner of Main and Virginia Streets. The free, family-friendly festivities include inflatable games, prizes and live music by hip-hop band Cousin Affect and local bands Doctor Robert (Beatles tribute) and Sunny Side Up-Side Down.
“The WOW Downtown Community Party is a chance to introduce new students to everything Gunnison has to offer and to acquaint them to their new town,” said Sara Phillips, assistant director of the LEAD & Orientation Office. “We want students to realize that are now just as much part of the Gunnison Valley community as they are Western State College of Colorado.”
Western’s Week of Welcome also incorporates events to celebrate the USA Pro Cycling Challenge with a “Queen’s Challenge” scavenger hunt, “Ride-in-Movie” and a “Chainless Townie Race” sponsored by the WSC cycling team on Aug. 21.
Western students also will be treated to a variety of campus activities throughout the first week of school, ranging from a Student Government Association sponsored ice cream social to a giant slip-and-slide brought in by Program Council. Other events include a video game tournament, Humans vs. Zombies, glow-in-the-dark ultimate Frisbee game and an outdoor movie night. In addition, the college’s Wilderness Pursuits program is hosting a variety of day trips to introduce new students to the recreational opportunities in the Gunnison Valley.
Rounding out the Week of Welcome is a 24-Hour Play Festival organized by Peak Productions, which begins on Friday, Aug. 26. Students have just one day to write, direct and rehearse their original plays. On Saturday, Aug. 27, the plays go from the page to the stage at 7 p.m. in the Taylor Auditorium. This event is free.
