Day on the JAY may have been pushed inside because of the rain, but the sun came out for the inaugural Rock the Block event later that evening.
Although the event was the Student Involvement Officeâs idea, they worked in conjunction with Residential Life, Campus Programming Board and Choosing and Learning Environments with Alcohol Respect (CLEAR).
Residential Life Coordinator (RLC) Jill Auxter said they decided to have the block party in the area on Rowland Ave in front of three Small Living Units (SLUs), because it has been seen as a âhidden treasure.â
âAnyone who grew up on a street that had block parties will know how much fun it is to be outside, play games, and hang out with your neighbors,â Auxter said.
âWe wanted to give OWU students an event that brings our students together, not just as neighbors, but as a campus community.â
Levi Harrel, RLC for the SLss, theme houses and Welch Hall, said it was an event to join the city and campus.
âAt its core, Rock the Block is a block party that is meant for members of the OWU and Delaware communities to come together and enjoy themselves,â he said.
The event featured food from Danâs Deli and Kinetic, a food truck co-founded by OWU alum Andrew Tuchow and served free Whitâs custard.
The staff also distributed free t-shirts for the first 100 people. Student DJs the Arjune Brothers and band Wahoo Sam Crawford played music in the gazebo at Bicentennial Park.
âWe are having this event for the students, and it adds another fun way to end the semester,â Auxter said.
âRock the Block is a small-scale outdoor concert and all-campus block party meant for members of the OWU community to celebrate arrival of spring and the end of the academic year,â Harrel added.
Both Auxter and Harrel said the planning of the event has been pretty easy working with the different organizations and Delaware city.