Dusk 'til Dawn sees new day

The late-night festivities of the third annual Dusk ’til Dawn are coming to the Rec Center tonight.

“It’s definitely a come one, come all motto,” Associated Students Inc. programs coordinator Michelle Curro said of the event.

The event will take place from 8 p.m. until 1 a.m. The event is free with a valid PolyCard.

“It’s all really for students to have fun,” Curro said.

“They get to come out, enjoy themselves and have some great entertainment, all while being safe and sober.”

Curro said there will be so much going on for students to participate in, no one will be left out.

She said one of the main activities will definitely be the music component, which will feature three different bands.

Local band Siko will perform first, followed by Still Time, formerly known as The New Longview.

Then there is the headliner OneRepublic, who have a hit song “Apologize,” which is featured on the new Timbaland album.

Another featured activity that Curro discussed is the major prize drawing by an event main sponsor.

“OneWay Boardshop will be there,” Curro said.

“They’ll actually be raffling off a $500 snowboard at the end of the event for one lucky winner.”

Curro said the sponsor will hold the raffle in quite an interesting format.

“They are actually doing it through a pretty creative way,” Curro said.

“They are going to do it through text messaging.”

Curro said that other event sponsors such as Kona’s Deli would provide food for as long as it lasts. She added that Woodstock’s Pizza would also be available for hungry students.

Dana Matteson, ASI special events student supervisor and recreation administration sophomore, spoke about the long list of other activities and events happening throughout the evening.

“We are bringing in things like a 200-foot obstacle course, big glove boxing, a high striker machine, a jousting arena, mechanical bull riding, an interactive games area and so much more.”

Matteson talked excitedly about the interactive games.

“We’re bringing in an Xbox 360 and a Wii entertainment system and ‘Halo III,’ among other games,” Matteson said.

Matteson said she was very much looking forward to that particular feature.

“I’m really looking forward to playing the Wii system,” she said. “I am hoping there will be Wii Bowling also.”

Other games will include “Dance Dance Revolution,” “Guitar Hero” and “Gears of War.”

She added that members of student government would be there to register people for voting.

John Schiesser, ASI events student manager and civil engineering senior, also worked very hard to bring this huge event to the students.

“We try to bring back what the students have really enjoyed in the past years,” Schiesser said.

“But we also bring in things that we really think they would like.”

Schiesser discussed what makes an event something memorable.

“We build on prior years’ successes and just build the best event possible for the students,” he added.

Curro said that if all goes well, they are expecting somewhere around 2000 students to attend this years event.

However, Curro added that numbers are not the only factor that contribute to a successful event. She said that, in the end, satisfied students are what really count.

“Student satisfaction is a key priority,” she said.

“We’re looking for the experience that the student takes away from the event. We like to hear the students who walk away and say, ‘I can’t wait until that happens next year; I’m going to Dusk ’til Dawn next year.'”