DSA finalizes plans for Big Free Music Festival
Published April 9, 2004
On Stop Day, students can expect to drive by the parking lot outside the Hearnes Center and see Orbitrons, fun runs, mechanical bulls and 11 other attractions in addition to two stages on which six bands will rock.
The Department of Student Activities planned the Big Free Music Festival for May 7. The event, which was formerly called the Missouri Derby, was discontinued in 2000 because of the lack of funds.
"We always liked doing big end-of-the-year events," DSA Director David Crawford said. "They're good for bringing the campus together one last time before everyone leaves for the summer."
Crawford said this year's festival will be combined with Springfest, an annual concert KCOU/88.1 FM holds.
"We're tying the two together as a way to get this off the ground," he said. "Hopefully we'll be able to build it up from there."
Crawford said DSA looked into reviving the event last year, but all the bands they thought would be good for it were unavailable.
"It's important to have bands that people will want to see," he said. "Many other campuses across the country do this and many bands were already booked. To kick it off, we'd like to have big bands."
DSA announced six of the eight bands that will perform. The department cannot announce the final two bands until the bands return their contracts, Crawford said.
"The contracts specifically stipulate that we cannot advertise the bands until they are returned," he said. "I really want to tell everybody who the bands are."
Bands performing on the Springfest stage will be the Missouri Sex Offenders, Tall Watts, Mah Jongg and Mission of Burma, College Music Committee Chairman Nick Gertsema said.
Bands on the Derby stage will include the two unnamed bands, Mootz Moody and the Prairie Hawk Band and Hazard to Ya Booty, Gertsema said.
Mootz Moody and the Prairie Hawk Band won their slots in the show at the Battle of the Bands contest in March.
"We feel we need to have this festival to wrap up the year," DSA assistant director Vonna Brown said. "It's funded with the students' money. This is for them."
Gertsema said many campus organizations also will participate in Big Free.
"STRIPES will have a dunk tank and (MSA) Senate will run a joust," he said. "There will also be a Rock the Vote booth. We're opening the doors to anyone who would like to participate."
Brown said between 30 and 40 people are working to organize the festival.
"We have different jobs to complete," she said. "All the different DSA committees have either contributed funding or help with planning."
Crawford said DSA is encouraging student organizations to get involved with Big Free, but the organizations are discouraged from trying to fund-raise at the festival.
"The point is people don't need to bring any money to Big Free," he said. "Admission is free, the entertainment is free, the food is free."