Summer Sendoff

From Kenyon News - April 25, 2014

Signaling the end of spring semester classes, the Summer Sendoff – a Kenyon tradition since 1990 – takes place on Friday on campus lawns.

Social Board selected noise-pop duo Sleigh Bells as the headliner for this year’s concert, which starts at 7:30 p.m. on Ransom Lawn. Hip-hop artist Brother Ali will open the show.

“We like to choose an opener that complements the main act but is a different genre so that we can satisfy the most number of students,” said Lauren Berke ’14 of Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y., Social Board co-president.

Leading up to the concert, the South Quad area will feature free ice cream and a photo booth, among other activities. AVI Foodsystems will serve dinner picnic-style near Ascension Hall from 5-7 p.m. During and after the music, students can enjoy pizza from Mikey’s Late Night Slice, a Columbus-based food truck that will be on hand from 8-10 p.m.

Sendoff itself consists only of the Social Board-sponsored events on Friday. To continue the weekend, other campus organizations have planned events for Saturday that hearken back to Saturday Sendoffs-past. Beta Theta Pi and Theta Delta Phi will co-host a festive gathering on South Quad from noon to 4 p.m. called Sax on the Beach. In the evening, the film organization Cinearts hosts an open-air screening of The Graduate (1967) t 9 p.m. on Ransom Lawn; popcorn, candy and soda are free.

In all of its incarnations over the years, and despite all that has changed, the heart of Sendoff remains true: giving students a fun and free event before finals.

By Nina Zimmerman ’14