In its fifth year on campus, Buck-i-Frenzy continued to draw heavy crowds of students Tuesday. Attracted by the free food, beverages and supplies, more than 25,000 students celebrated their last day of summer break trying to get as many free things as they could from more than 60 vendors.
Hannah Beardsley, a marketing intern for Student Life Marketing and Communications, said the semester conversion posed a huge planning challenge for what is one of the first big events of the school year.
“This year we had to adjust our timeline due to the semester conversion, so the planning process began in April. The construction happening along 17th Avenue has affected our layout slightly, so we had to adjust by pulling more people,” Beardsley said. “Although we were worried about the short summer, we have been really organized and have hit our deadlines. This is the fifth year for the event and our staff knows what to expect now.”
Kellie Uhrig, director of Student Life marketing and communications, said the crowd peaked around 1 p.m. as 25,000 people attended the event throughout the day.
Beardsley said a circus theme brought clowns and sideshow entertainment. Mimes and stilt walkers were also moving among the crowd, entertaining students.
“It’s pretty fantastic and enthusiastic,” said Wangfan Mo, a third-year in industrial engineering, while waiting in line for free food.
Jessica Villagran, a first-year in biomedical engineering, agreed but was displeased by the long lines that covered the area outside the Recreation and Physical Activity Center, which left students waiting in the afternoon sun.
Aside from the free food and drinks at the event, students were also able to participate in activities such as rock climbing and corn hole. Beardsley said a new addition to this year’s Frenzy was a 200-foot zip line brought by Super Games, a company that provides inflatables for events.
“We were not sure if bringing a zip line to campus was possible. But we thought students would really enjoy it so our staff made it happen,” she said.
Hannah Parks, a second-year in biology, and Allison Sirk, a second-year in biomedical engineering, were among the students who tried out the zip line Tuesday.
“It was so much fun,” Parks said. “We waited about 20 minutes in line, but it was worth it.”
Sirk and Parks said they plan to attend next year too.
“I’m glad they had it this year,” she said.
Uhrig said the self-funded welcome week event collects $1,500 from each food vendor that sets up at Buck-i-Frenzy, and $1,700 for all general vendors. More than 60 vendors were hosted on Tuesday.