Saturday, Sept. 7, Shepherd University’s Program Board held its annual Shepfest, a free event for students and community members that included live music, activities and food. The event was located on the intramural field on west campus, next to H lot, and was scheduled to run from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
In addition to the headliner, Natalie Stovall and The Drive, DJ Big T hosted the concert which included live music from May Weather. There were also a number of activities, including jousting, a mechanical bull, laser tag, a moon bounce obstacle course and a volleyball court.
The first hour of the event allowed attendees enough time to explore the venue before the first band hit the stage. Breaks between performances were a great time to grab some of the free food and refreshments available. The food included traditional carnival foods like corndogs, funnel cakes, cotton candy and five different flavors of ice cream, courtesy of Rock Hill Creamery.
While waiting on the different bands to set up for their performances, Big T kept the crowd amused with his commentary, most notably the jousting matches, and mix of Top 40 tracks. The different activities that were set up throughout the event were a hit with the students. Rachael Hallyburton, a junior at Shepherd, particularly liked the laser tag because “it was cool” and she had beaten her friends in a match.
Many who were at the event relaxed under the shade of the stage and enjoyed the music while they waiting for the performances. At 5 p.m. May Weather, a local Ska band from Hagerstown, Md., hit the stage. Then Natalie Stovall and The Drive began their performance around 6:30 p.m. and was well received by the crowd. One of the Program Board members, Andrea Haymond, mentioned that “[the Program Board] booked her early last year so we had enough time to plan out the rest [of the event].”
When asked about how the budget cuts have affected the Program Board, Emma Snyder, an accounting major on the executive leadership team of the board, said, “As far as the amount of stuff we were able to offer maybe, but as far as the overall experience, I don’t think so.”
Emma went on to explain that the members of the Program Board are passionate about what they do and have all worked hard putting the event together.
To receive notifications of future events, please visit the Shepherd University Program Board on Facebook and Twitter. A calendar of future events posted on their website, www.shepherdpb.com.