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SCOTT DOWNEY
Special to The Leader
It was a beautiful day in Barker Commons this past Sunday, where Fredonia Radio Systems (FRS) presented its 25th annual Rockin’ The Commons. The event ran from 11 a.m. until after 9 p.m. and all proceeds, which totaled over $4,500, benefited Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo.
“The turnout was actually really awesome,” said Rebecca D’Hilly, FRS Business Manager and a junior public relations major. “We had a lot of great bands that brought a lot of crowds.”
Chris Hoyt, a senior audio production major, and the news director of the station, said that if this were the Hunger Games, they would be celebrating their “Quarter Quell,” meaning their 25th year.
The annual event features a day of live music, which is live broadcast on both campus radio stations, 88.9 WCVF, and 89.5 WDVL, as well as a live video broadcast on campus television station, WNYF, channel eight. The event is assisted by Sound Services.
Over a dozen bands and a capella groups performed throughout the day, including Much More Chill; Some Like it Hot; The Guerillas; The Riveters; Deanna Civilette; New Masons; Gabby, Vaughn and Kate; The OtherMe; Something Happened; Annasun; The Scroop; Kill The Clock; Dollar Diplomacy; and Buffalo headliners Rustic Radio and Hokan.
In addition to the music, the Commons had chicken dinners from BW’s Smokin’ Barrels Barbecue for $10.
The Commons also had a bounce house and CD and art sales, which were new this year. The art sale had dream catchers and bowls made out of old records and custom drinking glasses that had the event name sandblasted on them. All proceeds from the bounce house, art, CD sales and games were also donated.
Also new for this year was the record toss game, in which a record was thrown like a Frisbee into small slots with different point values.
The Teacher’s Education Club also volunteered to help with crafts.
About 60 raffle baskets, gift cards and prizes were donated; FRS members sold three tickets for $1, or 20 tickets for $5.
One big prize was a Neato Robotics Signature Vacuum cleaner, which was raffled off. According to Amazon, they go for around $300.
Some other prizes included a MacBook Pro 13 inch, an iPod Touch, a pair of Bose headphones, passes to the Buffalo Science Museum and multiple Tops gift cards.
“We reach out to family of Fredonia Radio members, campus groups [and] places in Fredonia,” Fredonia Radio General Manager Alexis Ziccardi, a senior audio production major, said. “[They] donate gift cards, baskets. All proceeds go right to Roswell.”
Ziccardi booked the bands last year for Rockin’ the Commons as the FRS WDVL Program Director. This year she did the booking again, in addition to doing most of the event planning as General Manager. She said that they had few problems, like the date being switched because of a conflict with the village.
Rockin’ the Commons is normally held on a Saturday, but due to Barker Commons being double-booked, the event was moved to Sunday. Still, radio members were optimistic that a Sunday event would be just as successful and bring in a post-church crowd.
Ziccardi said that last year they raised $1,400 and $2,700 the year before.
Hoyt bought 80 tickets, though at the end of the day, he didn’t win any prizes.
“I looked in my wallet and saw $20. [It] supports Roswell, so why not?”
Hoyt hoped the chicken would attract a big turnout once the churches empty out and would change the bad reputation that he thinks college students have.
“I feel that we have that stigma, and it is absolutely not true as evidenced by this event,” Hoyt said.
Rebecca D’Hilly, a junior public relations major and FRS business manager, was enjoying her seventh year at Rockin’ The Commons. Her sister, Sarah, who was a previous General Manager until she graduated in 2013, put her to work when she was still in high school.
Although D’Hilly was grateful for the good weather, she was worried about the high wind speeds. “I will create a human barricade to stop the wind,” D’Hilly said jokingly.
She found a more practical solution of sending Anna Chicco, a senior musical theater major who is active at the radio station, to collect pebbles to weigh the baskets down. Chicco also served by waving a sign at traffic announcing the chicken dinners.
According to D’Hilly, the event was done in the spring until last year, when it was changed to fall in hopes of better weather. In 2013 it was held inside Steele Hall due to rain.
“It is way harder to get people from the community to go if it is not out in the open,” D’Hilly said. We are happy we didn’t have to use the rain location.”
“Thanks to anybody that [came] by,” Ziccardi said. “And the donors for the event. All have been extremely awesome to work with.”