CALA-Bash: Some festival highlights

Live on the Lawn featured vendors, including a student who makes necklaces and bracelets. (Panther photo by Tyra Hollingsworth)

Live on the Lawn features entrepreneurs

By TYRA HOLLINGSWORTH

Claflin University hosted the annual CALA-Bash event “Live on the Lawn” in the middle of the campus on April 7.

The university had vendors, food, games, music and a stage set up with performers.

 “I just like how all the beautiful, wonderful people come together and the lovely singing,” sophomore Chelise Morman said.

Claflin had some of the same vendors from last year, but several new ones.

Indulge, a pastries shop, was there for their first time. They had a colorful, well-organized table set up with cupcakes, cakes, lollipops, cookies and more.

“We’re a family business,” Charlotte said. “We have a shop in Columbia.”

Derrick Smalls, DJ’s Fitness & Nutrition creator, explained that he and his wife, Therisa, are Claflin graduates from 2014. Their business promotes proper nutrition and a better community.

Claflin also let student entrepreneurs set up tables with their products.

One student, junior Meleq Williams, started a business creating necklaces and bracelets, buying material from different vendors. His business just started last summer and he has made more than $2,000.

“It was crazy,” Meleq said. “I had made $300 overnight the first week I started.”

Another student entrepreneur, Logan Crosby-Chambers, creates bath scrubs. She makes them because she began breaking out uncontrollably from store-bought soaps.

“I want people with sensitive skin to be comfortable like I am now,” Crosby said.

Live on the Lawn was filled with students, professors and the community.

“I love CALA-Bash! It shows off the artistic side of students,” sophomore Tamera Jones said.

Claflin University will continue the tradition in 2018.

“Everybody coming together like a family is my favorite part of this event,” junior Taija Johnson said. “And the food. Can’t wait until next year!”

More Live on the Lawn

By MARSHALL PADGETT

Keeping with tradition, Claflin’s CALA-Bash kicked into high gear on Friday, April 7, with Claflin Live on the Lawn.

Claflin invited all in the community to attend an event that featured a student/faculty art sale in front of the Arthur Rose Museum, the Organizational Fair and Vendors Market, and the Alice Carson Tisdale Honors College Market Day on the Plaza. The day wound down with a Saints of Failure event at Ministers’ Hall.

Vendors traveled from all over the community to be a part of CALA-Bash. There were jewelry artisans, fragrance vendors, painters, fraternities and sororities, and more.

Attendees had the option to purchase dinner, visit vendor booths and stick around for music performances on stage and a live remote by 103.9 FM.

South Carolina State senior Kerry Graydon brought several of his friends to the event with the intent of enjoying the day.

“Today was a good day to visit. I came over after my class instead of walking to my room. This was a better decision,” Graydon said.

Poetry Slam

By TARRYN DELYONS

One girl rapped, another girl danced and another girl announced that students should vote for her because she was running for SGA vice president.

A professor performed a poem, as did a few students.

But most of the night was just students hanging out and enjoying the music. 

Welcome to Poetry Slam, a CALA-Bash feature held on April 5.

The crowd size was moderate, people came and went, and it was a relaxing environment.

A senior student was the emcee for the event and he kept the positive energy to entertain the students. 

Whenever there were new people sitting down on the bleachers, the emcee would rambunctiously run over to them and yell in the Mic, "Hey bleacher creatures! Wassup! What’s your name?" 

The students would either laugh or nervously laugh as he hyped up the crowd.

Prizes: first place was a tablet, second was a bluetooth speaker and the third was a Walmart gift card 

The girl who danced won first, the girl who announced she was running for SGA vice president was second, and this writer won third place for reading poetry.

P.U.L.S.E. performs

By JETURI BROWN

Claflin University’s student dance company P.U.L.S.E performed April 6 at the CALA-Bash Arts and Letters Festival.

The concert took place in the W.V.M. auditorium at 7:30 p.m. as the primetime event of the day.

“It went well. A lot of rehearsal went into putting the show together and the outcome was pleasing,” P.U.L.S.E dancer Joyla Cobin said.

The dance company showed a variety of styles when it came to dances. They highlighted hip-hop dance moves as well as some classical ballet.

The theme of the concert was a radio station and it started with throwbacks and worked its way back to modern day music.

The P.U.L.S.E.  dance company’s next performance will be in Miami, Florida, and the group is accepting donations to help with the trip.

For more information on P.U.L.S.E. and how you can donate, visit Cedric Rembert in his office on the second floor of the WVM Fine Arts Center.