Students enjoy snow cones, live hip-hop music at Maroonziee
Students escaped exam week preparation at Warriner Mall for a festival of miniature corn dogs, live hip-hop music and snow cones at Maroonziee Friday afternoon.
Hosted by Central Michigan University's Program Board, the carnival-like event served as both an end-of-the-year celebration and a stress reliever for finals week.
Participants ate snow cones and cotton candy, received caricature drawings of themselves and painted piggy banks with the Financial Wellness Collaborative.
Kalamazoo freshman Zoie Vanderbush let loose in an afternoon made special by bites of soft pretzels, watching peers wipe out on inflatables and having her rainbow shirt complimented by the showcased hip-hop artists.
Vanderbush said the event's energy reminded her of the things she loved most about her first year at CMU and its atmosphere of togetherness.
"The thing I love most about this place is that it's definitely very welcoming and super comfortable," she said. "I mainly try my best to come out to these bigger events as a way to get outside my bubble and to hopefully get to meet more people."
For Bad Axe senior Galen Miller, Program Board's president, the mission of Maroonzie was not simply to attract big audiences and student participation, but to offer a special and worthwhile experience to every individual in attendance as the academic year wraps up.
Miller said organizing the festival allowed for the group to look back at their accomplishments, which featured more than 50 events, attracting attendance from more than 6,000 students and assembling two music concerts for the first in Program Board history.
"I wouldn't change any of it; it was a successful year," Miller said. "I think (Maroonzie's) biggest purpose is to give students a chance to relax before finals week and a (time) to connect with their friends (before) everyone goes out for the summer."
Miller said he appreciates the values his position taught him including time management, communication and adaptability.
"I just remember my freshman year working the cotton candy machine at Maroonzie and here I am, my senior year and I'm still learning the lessons that go into putting a smile on someone's face."
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