Earthfest “rocks” Old River Park
UDCR celebrated Earth Day on April 18 at Old River Park. Photo courtesy of Tori Miller.
Tori Miller
University of Dayton Campus Recreation hosted a celebration in honor of Earth Day on April 18, 2021. The festival took place at Old River Park, and included other UD organizations such as Campus Ministry, Sustainability Club, and 4Paws. Earthfest landed on the perfect spring day and allowed many organizations to cultivate environment-friendly activities.
Earthfest’s schedule listed many fun, outdoor activities for students to enjoy. These activities included ongoing live music, environmental biology and sustainability initiative hikes, yoga in the park, canoeing or paddle boarding down the river, and a plethora of yard games (such as corn hole, latter ball, and spike ball).
Among these activities, the different organizations had various stands and tables to contribute to the Earth-friendly theme of the event. Campus Ministry had make-and-take mandalas that allowed students to interact with the nature around them and invited them to reflect on the beauty of the day. The Sustainability Club provided the opportunity to use mini recyclable Dixie cups to plant your own plant. 4Paws had plenty of pups to frolic in the fresh air while greeting students.
On top of these well-thought-out activities, there were two food trucks to serve students attending the event. Beloved food trucks, Rudy on the Run and the Wild Banana, allowed attendees to grab a tasty entree while indulging in the spring scenery and rocking out to live music.
Taking the stage at the centerfold of the festival were two bands with UD students as members.
The first performance was from an indie pop rock group named Hunny Eyes. After interviewing band members, I discovered that this was their first performance since the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
Speaking on their experience at Earthfest, Hunny Eyes said, “It was an honor to be included in such an event. It honestly surprised us how many different activities were offered. The whole event was a breath of fresh air.”
The final live music performance featured The Odd One Out. This rock cover inspired band is made up of UD sophomores that all have a passion for playing and making their own music. They have previously performed on UD’s campus at Flyerthon (hosted by UD Miracle) and at Art Street’s amphitheater.
Gabe Ferraiuolo, lead singer of The Odd One Out, said, “I really enjoyed performing under the great weather. The venue was beautiful and the people that helped us through the day from Earthfest were extremely accommodating. Having the bandstand to perform on was a step up from most of our other venues thus far, so it’s exciting to see the progress between gigs.”
The Odd One Out intends on finishing an EP composed of original songs sometime during the summer and has another performance this week on Friday, April 23 at KU field starting at 6:30pm.
To support these bands further, check out these handles:
- Hunny Eyes on Facebook, Instagram, and Spotify (@hunnyeyes)
- The Odd One Out on Instagram and Tik Tok (@the.odd_one.out)
Earthfest was a celebration of nature’s beauty and our amazing planet that needs to be preserved. It also proved that Dayton has some great up-and-coming bands with memorable live stage appearances. The collaboration between various UD organizations proves that coming together to promote nature can be incredibly fun and inclusive.
Make sure to follow @ud_campusrec on Instagram in order to keep up to date with future events!
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