A small idea becomes a large reality.
On May 2, Augustana will be hosting the first SloughFest. The festival will consists of numerous bands and activities for students to participate in. Sophomores LaSalle Smith and Justin Bishop considered such an event a large proposal.
“The event really was thought up in the residence halls, on a Friday night just hanging with the guys,” Smith said. “At first it seemed like a slightly ridiculous thought to have music festival on our campus, but after much thought, Justin Bishop and myself really took the idea to heart.”
This event is not the first like it’s kind. Marvin Agyeben said an event like this occurred many years ago.
“So about 60 years ago, Augustana used to have a music event that they called Friends Day, where all of the Augustana community would come together to listen to music and enjoy activities and each others company,” Agyeben said. “Coincidentally, about a year ago a couple students came up to me with the idea to host a music event here at Augustana because other colleges do it.”
Agyeben and Bishop met with President Bahls quickly after they determined that they wanted to pursue such an event.
“He led us in the right direction and together we came up with a group of individuals who we believed would want to see the vision of a music festival come to life just as we saw it,” Agyeben said. “It was a very tough process with budget, choosing the artist and finalizing the event. But when we got the ball rolling, it just seemed like a puzzle that we were finally finding the pieces to.”
Agyeben became the liaison between Ken Brill, the Director of Student Life, and they made sure to keep communication open.
There was a lot of time put into deciding what acts will perform at the event.
“The hardest part about this entire process was finding an artist that could really resonate with the Augustana Student body,” Smith said. “With much of the SloughFest committee being from Chicago/Chicagoland, Vic Mensa was a top option for many of us. We worked consistently and efficiently for an entire year, and to see how much buzz has been created, is truly something to be proud of.”
One act is an Augustana Alum, Sam Calcagno, a hip hop artist that goes by the stage name of “My Twin Sam.”
SloughFest isn’t only a music festival. The creators have incorporated an experience for those who aren’t sold on the performance aspect.
“There will be activities such as bocce ball and Henna tattoos, and even more from Augustana student groups here on campus. We’ll have food grilling all day along with Dippin’ Dots catering their infamous ice cream for those in attendance,” Agyeben said.
SloughFest will be free to all Augustana students who have a wristband and their Augustana ID. Admission for non-Augustana students will be $15.
This group of men has made an effort over the last year to build an event that the majority of students would enjoy.
“We’ve put in a lot of work for this event all for the benefit of the students just so that they have something to enjoy at the end of the year, and to congratulate them for being the voices and the ideas that made this event happen. And that makes our school so great as far as a student body both socially and academically. This is a fun music experience strictly for the students by the students,” Agyeben said.