One More Reason to Love Fridays

Students perform throughout downtown during first-of-its-kind event

by MaryAlice Bitts-Jackson

Story update (10/2, 2:38 p.m.)

Please note that due to rain, some venues have changed. New locations as of 2:40 p.m. are indicated in boldface, under "If you go." For up-to-the-minute changes, please visit SLCE on Twitter.

Original post (9/30)

Love Fridays? Of course you do. Now here’s another reason why.

Every month from spring through fall, Carlisle hosts a First Friday event, inviting one and all to the downtown historic district to enjoy free activities based on a given theme. And this month marks a First Friday first, with Dickinson students providing live entertainment at favorite hangouts on High, Hanover and Pomfret streets, within a few blocks of campus.

Friday, from 5-8 p.m., student bands and solo musicians will perform original and cover music in a spectrum of styles, from garage bands to Irish folk and jazz. There also will be live performances by student dance and a cappella groups, as well as live music by Dickinson’s student-run radio station, WDCV, as part of a daylong College Radio event that includes a pop-up record store on Britton Plaza. Students and staff at The Trout Gallery will present an Open Arts Lab throughout the three-hour event, and members of Dickinson’s Quidditch team will give a live demonstration. The evening will conclude with a free showing of ’80s cult classic The Princess Bride at the Carlisle Theatre.

The event brings the talents of tried-and-true veterans into the spotlight, including Kerin Maguire ’17 (English), a singer-songwriter, DJ and music blogger who founded Dickinson’s Trellis Concerts series, and who will perform a mix of original and cover folk tunes. It also brings new voices into the mix, like sociology and Italian studies double-major Prudy Whalen ’17.

"This is our first real performance in front of a real audience, so we're just excited to get out there and see what people think," says Whalen, who has been singing cover songs with classmates Taylor Hunkins (art history), Jonah Levi-Paesky (psychology) and Dan Allegar (biology) since freshman year. 

It’s all part of an effort to bring Carlisle and the community together in new ways, says Ashley Perzyna, assistant chief of staff and member of the Downtown Carlisle Association (DCA), who worked with fellow DCA member Josh Eisenberg, director of student leadership & campus engagement and class dean, to plan the townwide event.

“Dickinson has sponsored First Friday events in the past, and we wanted to take it a step further by showcasing the incredible talent here at Dickinson,” said Perzyna, noting that events such as these highlight the fact that while the college hosts many lectures, performances and exhibitions throughout the year, students, faculty and staff also benefit from a culturally and economically vibrant downtown.

That message rings out loud and clear for Kyle Klose ’16 (environmental studies, political science), a Trellis co-organizer and president of the Jam Space music organization who will play original indie rock, much written while studying abroad last fall, in the garden behind Pat Craig Studios. “I'm looking forward to seeing familiar faces there, along with unfamiliar faces from the Carlisle community,” he says.

If you go

Below are participating venues and the students and events they’ll showcase. Note: Information that has changed, due to rain, is in boldface.

Quidditch is STILL ON as of 2:00 pm.

• The Trout Gallery, 240 W. High Street: Open Arts Lab (5-8 p.m.)
• Weiss lawn, between Weiss Center for the Arts and President’s House: Quidditch demonstration (6-7 p.m.). Please check SLCE on Twitter for possible changes regarding this outdoor venue.
• Carlisle Theatre lobby, 40 West High Street: Mini-festival featuring Dickinson’s smoothie bike and the Dickinson Media Center with music by 3 Men and a Fish, Edwin Padilla Quartet and the D-Tones.
• Comfort Suites, 10 S. Hanover Street: Kerin Maguire ’17 (6-6:30 p.m. and 7:30-8 p.m.)
• Bosler Library, 158 W. High Street: Swing Dance Group (6-7 p.m.) and New and IMPROVed dance group (7-8 p.m.)
• United Church of Christ Plaza, 30 N. Pitt Street: Block party and games hosted by Dickinson College Children’s Center
• Cumberland County Historical Society, 21 N. Pitt Street: crafts hosted by Dickinson College Children’s Center.
• Market Cross/Greatest Gift, 113 & 117 N. Hanover Street: Ed Padilla Jazz Quartet (half-hour performances at 5:30 and 6:30 p.m.)
• Pat’s Studio Garden, 30 W. Pomfret Street: Kyle Klose ’16 (half-hour performances at 5:30 and 7:30) and Prudy Whalen ’17 (6:30-7 p.m.) - Please check SLCE on Twitter for possible changes regarding this outdoor venue.
• Georgie Lou’s, 56 W. High Street: The Octals (half-hour performances at 5:30 and 7 p.m.)
• American Artisan Gallery, 35 N. Hanover Street: Corkgrease (5:30-6 p.m.)
• Cumberland County Historical Society parking lot, 21 N. Pitt St.: Games and music hosted by WDCV-FM/Dickinson Makes (5-8 p.m.)
• Harmony Society, 136 W. High Street: Games and music hosted by WDCV-FM/Dickinson Makes (5-8 p.m.)
• Second Time Around, 20 N. Hanover Street: Crescendevils (half-hour performances at 5:30 and 7 p.m.)
• Carlisle Regional Performing Arts Center/Carlisle Theatre 40 W. High Street: Free showing of The Princess Bride (8 p.m.)

Learn more

• “In the Groove” (Kerin Maguire ’17)
• “Computers and Coltrane” (Edwin Padilla ’16)
• College Radio Day
• The Campus and Community
• Opportunities for Engagement
• The Arts at Dickinson
• Latest News

Published September 30, 2015