By Emma Thompson
Spring affair took place on the one-year anniversary of the tornado, April 19, 2024. The night was filled with skits and performances by various OBU students. This year’s theme was “Gone Camping”, featuring five emcees each portraying very different characters.
The graphics were done by sophomore graphic design major McKenzie Stewart, who also served as the head of the advertising crew.
“I absolutely loved getting to work on a large production with a like minded group of people. It was great getting to share ideas and always have a good laugh in the process, all the while feeling accomplished and a valued part of the team. Getting to see the show come to life slowly but surely was an incredible experience” Stewart said.
Prior to the event, there was a s’mores station set up outside of the RAWC that was enjoyed by students.
Excitement was evident as students and faculty flooded into the building, taking their seats.
The story centered around five OBU students on their way back from a CIV extra credit assignment, when they suddenly hit a deer and crashed. They don’t know how to fix the car, and decide to walk back to campus since it is only about a mile away. The students end up getting lost and decide to make camp for the night, leading them to tell entertaining campfire stories.
Laughter was common among the audience that night as the comedic story ran its course.
Between each of these stories were performances from various acts as well as the traditional stage band. The winning act this year was a duet by Ryleigh Andrews and Maggie Wall, two girls with stunning vocals and sweet personalities.
“Ryleigh and Maggie were definitely my favorite. Their performance was so beautiful,” freshman music education major Sam Oursler, who had a cameo role as Shaz in the show and was also part of the mic crew, said.
Halfway through the show was a 15 minute intermission with a “build your own trailmix” bar. The intermission crew was headed by sophomore nursing major Liv Todd.
This event is hosted every spring by the Campus Activity Board (CAB), the organization that also hosts Biggie every fall.
The club is led by three co-chairs: Karis McCollough, Austin Lopez and Jenna King .
“This show was one of my favorites I have been a part of. My favorite thing about CAB is that it brings so many people together that otherwise never would’ve crossed paths on campus” McCollogh, the senior co-chair, said.
“I really felt that with our club this semester preparing for the show. It was so exciting to be able to see the show come together from January to April and see our club grow through that process as well,” McCollough said.
As stated by McCollough, preparation for the show began in January with the CAB members brainstorming themes and splitting into “crews” or groups that are in charge of specific aspects of the show.
Auditions were held March 12th and 13th, and the writers began working on the skits soon after.
Junior communications major Abby Ettinger was an emcee and led the skit writing crew.
“I loved getting to see our vision come to life and hearing the audience laugh! I was nervous the jokes wouldn’t hit right, but the audience totally got our vision and enjoyed the show,” Ettinger said.
This statement could not be more true. It was plain to see that the story was translated well on the stage by the emcees.
The upbeat, joyful atmosphere after the show was a testament to the audience’s enjoyment of such a wonderful production. The night was well planned and executed by CAB.
