James Madison University - Bluestone Schoolmaam Yearbook (Harrisonburg, VA)

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come come Come ne, Come Providing entertainment for campus and community members alike, university groups create a variety of different activities- In an effort to increase attendance througfiout the town. )Mu- bilee included games for all ages Photo by Tara Hepler It was a beautiful spring da) ' on March 1 8 as over 1,500 people made their way to Godwin Field for Madison Festival. Kno vn more common!) ' as jMubilee, the event provided a day of entertain- ment and interaction for both university students and Harrisonburg residents. Created bv former Student Goxernment Association President Tom CuUigan and graduate Corey Schwartz, jMubilee debuted in 2005 and aimed to foster student and community relations in a relaxed and fun atmo- sphere. The event also raised money for Mere) ' House, a local transitional housing shelter. Campus and community organizations pro- vided carnival-type games from face painting and tug-o-war to a kids ' moon bounce and an inflat- able rock-climbing wall. There was also a main stage set up where a variety of groups such as Exit 245 and the Harrisonburg Clogging Club performed. The Universit) ' Program Board sponsored the final performance by comedian Tim ' oung. a graduate of the universitv. Aramark provided those attending with free food including hot dogs, cotton cand)-, ice cream bars, apples and popcorn. Coca-Cola provided refreshments for the daw As with an ' da)-long event, there was a great deal of planning rec]uired, especially considering the ambi- tious goals Schwartz set for the occasion. Our first goal was to increase attendance to the event. In fact, we ended up more than doubling the attendance from the first year, said Sch vartz. Second was to get a more even split of conmiunity and campus people there. The first year it was about 20 percent communit) ' , 80 percent campus. This year it was more like 40 percent community and 60 per- cent campus. Lastlv, we wanted to demonstrate that so manv different organizations and campus groups can work together at JMU to pull off something this grand, this meaningful and this important for the future of JMU and Harrisonburg relations. After the success of the 2005 jMubilee, the steer- ing committee had an entire year to plan. During the fall, the jMubilee executive staff sought sponsorship and funding for the event b) ' recruiting universit) ' and commimit ' orijanizations. The dav would not have Enjoying the beautiful weather, a young member of the Harrisonburg community takes advantage of the many activities provided for her age group. The festival kicked off during the afternoon and fun and games continued until sunset- Photo by Tara Hepler I 24 I Features

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Imitating the famous figure, this professional re- enactor impersonates James Madison delivering one of his many powerful speeches. Madison was not just a president, he was also a brilliant writer and teacher. Photo by Mindi Westhoff Lying on a table outside of Wilson Hall, pamphlets detailing James Madison ' s life are available for students to pick up, Madison ' s birthday celebration was held annu- ally on March 1 6. Photo fay Tara Hepler high school biology courses. The preliminary de- hates occurred at 8:30 and 11 a.m., followed by the final round at 5 p.m. The Madison Cup was award- ed to Yale University who also took home the first place prize of $5,000. Second place was awarded to the College of William Mary and third place to the University of Richmond. Madison Week also gave students an opportuni- ty to apply skills learned in class. Students in SCOM 461, a public relations campaign class, were assigned Madison Day public relations for a class project. A group of five students were responsible for pro- moting the week and increasing awareness around campus. Graduate Lisa Facinelli, a member of the group, said they used banners, radio announce- ments, flyers, sidewalk chalk, the university Web site and a press release in The Breeze to advertise for the week. According to Facinelli, their hard work paid off. I ' d say it was a success because there was a good turnout for all of the events, she said. We tried to instill a sense of community within theJMU campus and Harrisonburg citizens. The group also designed Madison Day shirts with the logo We are Madison on the back to promote a message of togetherness. I know for our group specifically working on this campaign, we felt honored to be involved in such a campus-wide event and had a lot of fun planning the activities as well as getting out on campus to talk about the events with students, Facinelli said. According to the press release, the goal of Madi- son Day was to encourage the idea of citizenship among students and the communit) ' . This goal was achieved through speakers, debates and student participation. Civility, the breath of oxygen needed for democracy, described by Dreyfuss and instilled by James Madison, was showcased throughout the week. Madison Week 1231

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I Godwin Field plays host to a day of food, fun and fundraiSing. byjoanna Brenner gone smoothly without the volunteers who rallied together before, during and after the event. Sophomore Meghan BoUenback was a member of the marketing public relations division for the event. She helped prepare by designing advertise- ments and writing letters to campus organizations, asking them to participate in the event by sponsor- ins an activity booth. She also wrote letters to Harrisonburg residents informing them about jMubilee. On the day of the event, BoUenback photo- graphed activities and performances, worked in dif- ferent food stations and helped set up and take down all the tables and chairs. In the end, everything was a success, high hopes for future jMubilees. We use Godwin field for the event, and I would love to see it completeh ' filled with activity booths, said BoUenback. I think the more clubs we have involved, the more awareness there will be around campus about jMubilee. And then that could lead to a greater turnout and to us raising more money to give to the Harrisonburg Mercy House. The whole event is about giving back to the Harrisonburg community. and I think we could give back more if we can get more participation. In the end, the day was a success, made evident by the smiles of the 1,500 attendants, ages two to 72. It was just a nice way to spend a Saturday afternoon, said sophomore Meredith Halvorsen. I liked seeing little kids from around Harrisonburg all running around and having a good time, as well as all the entertainment. Breaking it down, the Breakdance Club entertains attendants. Circle K. Safe Rides and Zeta Tau Alpha were among other clubs that participated in the event. Photo by Tara Hep er Experiencing a state of inebriation, a student wears beer goggles to create an usion of intoxication. The goggles simulated the effects of excessive alcohol con- sumption. Photo by Taro Hep er jMubilee 1251