Preparing for Fred Fest

By Ann Marie Trietley

There might as well be tumbleweeds blowing through the library, the academic buildings and the dorms. Where have all the students gone?

Stacks of schoolbooks will collect dust once the last strand of homework has been furiously scribbled. Work is discarded and abandoned soon after class ends in anticipation. It’s time to prepare for the day that Fredonia students wait for all year.

It happens every year in the fenced-in field near Dods Hall. Upon rising Saturday morning students make their pilgrimage to the tents with the necessary provisions strapped to their backs. It’s Fred Fest 2008, and it’s time to prepare.

Of course, there will be food. Dinosaur Barbeque, provider of a favorite local cuisine in Syracuse and Rochester, arrives to peddle $5 plates of pulled pork and ribs to a winding line of famished concertgoers.

“I’m getting in line early for Dinosaur Barbeque,” says Nevada Greene, a senior English major. “Fred Fest weekend equals food.”

Some begin the annual springtime celebration earlier, with BJ’s Fest going on Thursday and Friday night downtown. This year, the two-day fest will feature Dameira, Lemuria, This is an Empire, Sonorous Gale, London vs. New York, Mysterious Mysteries, Gonculator and the Trip Wilsons.

“I was actually thinking this year that I’d do something special,” says James Ralls, a senior English major. “I was thinking I’d go to BJ’s Fest Thursday and Friday, the show on Saturday to eat Dinosaur Barbeque, then I’m going to a basement show instead of watching Cartel. All these crazy things will cause me to windmill, cartwheel and jump-rope for Jesus.”

BJ’s Fest is just the thing to gear up for the springtime concert season and prep the eardrums for thundering sets and roaring crowds. With so much opposition to this year’s headliner - pop-punk group Cartel - the die-hard music lovers on campus seem to be anticipating BJ’s Fest much more.

Although it’s not free - $5 per night – the eclectic and oft-surprising bands and cheap drinks are well worth it. The Trip Wilsons, a three-person band from Bainsbridge, N.Y., with the slam-dance favorite “United Snakes of America,” are forecast to be the ones on everyone’s lips this year.

“I’m not gearing up for Fred Fest,” says Dave Moran, a senior English major. “To me, it’s not that big of a deal. I’m planning on checking out the actual concert, then going out with my friends and causing trouble.”

While Fred Fest has gradually become more and more toned down over the years – no drinking, smoking, or more than three non-Fredonia guests per student allowed - students still prepare in advance to surrender themselves to the ultimate pursuit of happiness.

“I’m going to get lots of homework done Friday because I know I’m not going to wake up Sunday,” says Michelle D’Amico, a sophomore liberal arts major.

After the practical preparation of finishing that last nagging bit of homework is complete, some simple finishing touches are needed before the festivities can commence.

“I’m preparing with sunscreen,” says Kim Brant, a sophomore liberal arts major. “And a tour de Franzia!”

“Fred Fest, yeah, probably whiskey,” says Robyn Martin, a sophomore visual arts and new media major. “That’s probably it!”

But don’t attempt to smuggle that flask past Officer Growler! Be warned – you will be padded down before entering.

“Last year there were six cops searching you before you even went into the concert,” says Kevin Ludwig, a sophomore environmental sciences major. “It used to be a free festival day for kids to drink and have fun all day, and that’s how it should be. But Fredonia’s weird and has an authority problem.”

While dealing with authority is often necessary to get ahead in this world, it doesn’t have to stifle the Fred Fest fun. Besides the concert on Saturday, there will be plenty of merriment to be had both on and off campus.

“I’m preparing to have a good time outside of campus,” says Greene. “I don’t respect the decisions made as to what bands are coming, but Cartel I guess has a good fan base, even though everyone I talked to is unhappy about the decision.”

The whiney screams of Cartel are sure to be matched in volume by the springtime revelry lasting well into the night.