SVSU hosted the annual Streetfest event Thursday, April 6, in the O’Neill Arena after the event was moved indoors due to weather. The day was filled with rides, food options, a DJ and many RSO booths.
Despite the weather, many students and their families came out to have fun, which was no surprise to Student Association member McKenna Ciner.
“We’ve had a steady flow of people coming in,” said Ciner, a sophomore in elementary education, said. “We’ve advertised it so well and so much that the second we changed the location, people still knew. And this is something students look forward to all year.”
Student Life Coordinator Anna Devota, who helped plan Streetfest, echoed this sentiment.
“The turnout was amazing,” Devota said. “Considering the weather was not on our side that day, we exceeded our expectations of attendance.”
Some of the attractions offered included zip-lining, bouncy castles, a blow-up obstacle course and more. Such rides were reason enough for students to brave the weather.
“It was a rainy day, so why not?” said Tyra Chapman, a freshman majoring in nursing. “I’m still shaken by the zip line, though.”
The zip line proved to be one of the most popular attractions, even if many students were intimidated by it.
“The zip line was the best,” said freshman Kennedy Jones. “It was fun. I’ve never done one before, so it was scary.”
Nonetheless, students still found the other rides equally entertaining.
“I did everything – rock climbing, the obstacle course, the air ball,” Chapman said. “It was really fun.”
Besides rides, the food was popular as well. Food trucks included Makin’ Bacon, Los Jalapeños and 18th Concessions. Indoor tales were also available due to inclement weather.
“I’d say the food was my favorite part because I’m afraid of heights,” nursing freshman Sabrina Bellante said. “Mac and cheese with bacon was the best. It was hot and fresh.”
Devota was happy with how they all came together for Streetfest.
“The food trucks were amazing, and I really enjoyed the zip-line, but it was also the atmosphere in the O’Neill Arena,” Devota said. “There was no way you weren’t having fun.”
American Model United Nations, the Optimist Club, National Society of Collegiate Scholars and Cardinal Rhythm were all in attendance, and Devota said that was her favorite part of the event.
“My favorite aspect of Streetfest was the RSO involvement,” Devota said. “Student organizations had the opportunity to share what their organization does with the SVSU community.”
To fund the event, Streetfest also featured sponsor tables. Those tables included the Woman’s Shelter of Bay County, Saginaw Spirit, Fox Glen Apartments, and Jet’s Pizza.
“All the feedback I have heard has been positive,” Devota said. “As people were leaving the event, they would tell me how much fun they had, and a lot of people even thanked us as they left. Streetfest was a good place for students to come and unwind before finals week begins in a few weeks.”
