Gatsby Gala
This year's theme, "A Night at Gatsby's," promises to deliver an aura of elegance. "It calls for a little more of a ritzy event, as opposed to something more casual like the pirate theme last year," noted senior Sherry Cortes, one of the event's organizers. Students have the opportunity to wear the formal attire that they packed away at the end of high school or opt for new-found vintage finery.
Music, food, and fun are in fashion in every era, and Phling will include plenty of all three. In Peirce Great Hall, Jady Kurrent, a cover band from Cleveland, Ohio, and a Phling standard, will perform their pop, hip hop, and dance-style music. In Upper Dempsey Hall, Blue Lunch, an eight-piece band, will perform Gatsby-style jazz, swing, and big band music.
Peirce Hall Lounge will offer a casino atmosphere. Students can play blackjack and Texas hold'em or play the odds for a raffle prize. The pub in Peirce Hall will be transformed into a speakeasy, where students can eat snacks or order mocktails. In Lower Dempsey, free pizzas and performances by student bands will offer a more contemporary atmosphere.
Phridays Phling, a kick-off for the weekend, will include performances from Kenyon's a cappella groups as well as karaoke performances. A panel composed of professors and students will entertain between karaoke performances and sound a gong to dismiss students from the stage. If a student is more inclined to narrate than perform, he can sit in the audience, dine on complimentary pizza, participate in a raffle, and observe an entertaining spectacle.
"Phling gives people the chance to relax and have fun," Cortes said. Students mingle, enjoy their campus in a new way, and "forget about the grayness outside for at least one night." An evening of distracting ostentation? How very Gatsby-esque!
by Lauren Ostberg, Class of 2007