Fall Fest ‘09: a memorable way to kick off Halloween

By Lory Mishra

On Thursday, October 29 and Friday, October 30, Union Board and the Campus and Conference Centers executed one of the most successful and well-attended events in the Bog. Fall Fest was a two-day event, with a dance party and costume contest on day one and Bottomless Bog on day two. This event marked the debut of IIT’s new Student Planning and Bog Coordinator, Chris Dayss. Mr. Dayss worked alongside Union Board’s VP of Bog Events, Hamza Obaid, to deliver a fantastic experience for all 250 students who attended Fall Fest ’09.

Day One began at 7:30pm with an excellent DJ set by 4th year Rob LaRue. DJ LaRue played a wide selection of songs, some mainstream and some less so, to get the party started. While the initial sparsity of dancers was a bit disappointing, IIT students soon got on the dance floor to strut their stuff. DJ LaRue was a very appropriate opener for the headlining act, DJ Kid Color, programmed by Brian Kibbe.

At his second appearance at IIT (the first was at MTCC Late Night), DJ Kid Color played an incredibly energetic, fun, and amazing set for the 3 remaining hours of the night. Most of the night, the dance floor was very literally packed with students showing off their best moves. Those students who were over 21 had a little help from the bartender and IIT student Scott Mochinski, who prepared Halloween-themed drinks as fast as he could for countless students. Along with the free food, this certainly ensured a great night.

Across the Bog from the dance party, numerous students were playing pool, video games, bowling, or just hanging out over some board games. UB Programmer Alicia Perez had brought in a tarot card reader who, judging from the continuous crowd around her, was a huge success as well. There were some great costumes and according to the 3 judges, The Roller Derby Girl, Peter Pan, and Edward Scissorhands were the best of the night. The costume contest was sponsored by the IIT Residence Hall Association.

Friday, October 30 saw a continuation of the festivities with Bottomless Bog, which included free bowling, great drink specials, and karaoke. Students trickled in to the Bog after a soggy Pumpkin Launch and were greeted with free food and other fun activities for the rest of the evening.

Overall, Fall Fest ’09 was a fantastic, well-executed event. One can only hope that this is the start of a great tradition in IIT’s social programming!