Phebruary Phling Phun

GAMBIER, Ohio (January 30, 2008)

The fabled lost city of Atlantis will no longer be confined to the pages of Plato or Francis Bacon, or to the discussions of philosophy class. On Saturday, Kenyon students will have the chance to step out of a cold winter night, dip into an underwater paradise, and experience the Lost City first hand.

At this year's Phebruary Phling, themed "A Journey to Atlantis," students can shed their hats and jackets and don formal wear, or any attire appropriate for their deep-sea travels. Whatever their dress, students are sure to dance the night - and winter doldrums - away.

Phling, named (and spelled) in honor of College founding father Philander Chase, is an annual semiformal dance at Kenyon. It will for the second year be displaced from its traditional home in the Great Hall of Peirce Hall, which is under renovation, to the Kenyon Athletic Center (KAC). Phling Committee chair Traci Gau, Class of 2008, of Mililani, Hawaii, said students met the challenge of the abundant space in the KAC by transforming the indoor track into a cruise ship.

Three student bands, the Detroit Groove, Walk the Moon, and Jet Lu, will perform. The highly popular Detroit Groove, best described as a Motown cover band, recently performed to a room packed with thrilled fans at the Village Inn, a restaurant and bar in Gambier. Students can also dance to the music of Jady Kurrent, a Cleveland-based pop and hip-hop cover band that has toured internationally and performed at Phling for several years.

If students get tired of dancing, they can step off the ocean floor and onto dry land to try their luck aboard the "S.S. Philander" cruise-ship casino. The casino, in the Multi-Athletic Court (MAC), will feature slot machines, roulette, and card games such as blackjack and Texas hold'em. Players win chips in the casino and can use them to "purchase" raffle tickets. All casino games are free.

The excitement begins Friday with, naturally, the "Phriday Phling." At 9:00 p.m in Gund Ballroom, hungry students are invited to snack on chicken wings at "Phling and Wings." After everybody is filled on the greasy goodness, they can show off their talents (or lack thereof) in rounds of karaoke.

At 7:30 p.m. Saturday in Gund Ballroom, students may participate in the "Phree pre-Phling Pheast," a semiformal, catered Italian dinner sponsored and planned by the student organization ADEPT (Alcohol and Drug Education Program Team).

Brian Don, Class of 2008, of Lake Oswego, Oregon, looks forward to Phling every year. "Phling is a great weekend at Kenyon" he said. "By February, everybody is always busy with activities and school work so it gives people a good excuse to stop
studying and enjoy themselves."

Student revelers will be joined by members of the faculty and staff, who volunteer to run the various games, check coats, and dispense free food and beverages.

-- Kate Hellman, Class of 2008