6 Fest: May 16, 2009!!!

Ohio University's biggest Spring party

Click the image for more details…

Want info on this year’s SixFest?

So do I…
My site stats aren’t lying– you all want info about Six Fest.

I have nothing for you. I’ve been in talks with the festival’s coordinator Dominic Petrozzi to give me some solid who/what/when/where info about Six Fest but no juice.. believe me I’ll post as much info as I can as soon as I get it…

STAY TUNED…

sapiens(sapiens): by Kait Whistler

From the Facebook event page for sapiens(sapiens):

Come to the opening of my thesis exhibition, showing two years of ongoing hard work preparing Grace and I for the theoretical apocalypse of 2012.

OPENING RECEPTION: Tuesday, March 10th 7-9:00pm
ARTIST’S GALLERY TALK:Wednesday, March 11th  3:00pm

If you’re trying to choose between the talk or the reception, the gallery talk is the important part. I am giving a 30 minute presentation (performance) and then being publicly critiqued/questioned by faculty and other attendees for the following 30 min. YIKES! I would really appreciate your support on Wednesday the 11th!

Both events are free and open to everyone. You are also welcome to visit the exhibit at any other time the gallery is open.

Trisolini Gallery
Ohio University Baker Center
Hours
Mon-Sat 10am – 4pm
Thurs 10am – 8pm

PICKLEFEST ’09: Sign up today!

Picklefest is Friday March 13, 2009!
Sign up ASAP at Bagel Street Deli:
27 South Court Street, Athens, Ohio 45701. 740-593-3838

Check out this awesome article about Picklefest 2008:

By Maria Varonis
Insider contributor

Local eatery Bagel St. Deli closed up shop a bit early this past Friday to commence its ninth annual Pickle Fest. Highly anticipated by both BSD employees and local pickle lovers alike, the annual pickle-eating contest is an event not for the faint of heart – or stomach.

“I think you have got to be a complete maniac to enter this contest,” said Ohio University sophomore Rob McConnell, who beat out more than 40 competitors to become champion of this year’s contest. McConnell ate 13 full-sized dill pickles in 10 minutes He tied the existing record and gained the coveted title of “Pickle Champ 2008.”

The eating competition has become somewhat of a staple at the bagel shop for everyone involved.

“Pickle Fest is simply a tradition, and traditions are a nice thing to continue,” Megan McElligott, part-owner of the deli, said. “We have established almost a decade of pickle-eating, crazy college students.”

“I think it’s one of the coolest things we do,” Art Oestrike, another BSD part-owner, said. “(The previous owner) wanted to use something in the menu, but who wants to do an all you can eat bagel contest? I mean, think about the repercussions of that. So, hence, the pickle thing.”

For some, this “pickle thing” includes extensive research and vigorous training. For instance, McConnell studied and used the techniques of world-renowned hot dog-eating champion Takeru Kobayashi.

“I just came in prepared, psyched myself up and shoved 13 pickles in my mouth somehow,” he said of his performance. “It felt great until about an hour afterwards, and then it really hurt.”

Many fellow participants commiserated with this downside of competitive eating.

“Pickle Fest was a lot harder than I had anticipated,” contestant Katie Knauff said. “Eating all those pickles makes your teeth feel horrible, and I felt sick for a good couple of hours. I probably won’t do it again. I just don’t like pickles anymore.”

Competitor Michael Swepston used his experience to better prepare for the future.

“Pickle Fest was intense but I have to do it again because this year I sucked,” he said. “I need to do better next year, so I probably won’t eat another pickle until then.”

Although some were less than thrilled with the reality of mass pickle-eating, the event itself seemed to leave a good taste in contestants’ mouths.

“Everyone was so friendly and wearing funny T-shirts. I loved it,” Knauff said.

And though stomachs may suffer, winning the Pickle Fest is not a feat to be taken lightly. Bragging rights and glory aside, winners receive a complimentary Pickle Fest T-shirt, and ultimate Pickle Champs are also invited to invent and name their own bagel sandwich creation to be added to the extensive Bagel Street Deli menu. Past winners have created bagelwich hits such as the Debbie, Debbie, Debbie and Ritter’s Meat.

McConnell already has a bagel creation in mind, though he’s not ready to divulge it just yet.

“I can’t believe I did it,” he said. “And, hey, if I’m around next year, I’ve got to see if I can win it again. It was too much fun.”

‘This Bike is a Pipe Bomb’ Strikes Again!

Several years ago, there was a huge incident at Ohio University where the bomb squad was called to inspect a possible bomb, which just turned out to be a sticker on a bicycle. According to Wikipedia:

On March 2, 2006 at 5:30 am an Ohio University police officer spotted a bicycle attached to the Oasis restaurant bearing a promotional sticker for the band. The officer saw the words, “This Bike Is a Pipe Bomb” and became concerned. The area was cordoned off, and part of the campus was closed for several hours. The bicycle was subsequently destroyed by the Athens bomb squad despite assurances from the bike’s owner that it was just a sticker. The owner, a graduate student, was initially charged with inducing panic, a misdemeanor. However, the charges were dropped a few days later. Later the student was awarded money for the damages to his bicycle…

Well… they’re back!

By Janet DiGiacomo
CNN.com

(CNN) — A bicycle with a sticker advertising a Florida punk-folk band forced the evacuation of a Memphis, Tennessee, airport terminal late Monday afternoon, authorities said.

A pilot alerted airport police when he saw a bike with a sticker that read “this bike is a pipe bomb” parked near the passenger ramps of Terminal C at Memphis International Airport, according to the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority.

“Terminal C ticketing and baggage claim at the airport were cleared out,” said airport spokesman John Greaud. “A K-9 unit responded and found no explosive materials at the scene.”

“This Bike is a Pipe Bomb” is the name of a band based in Pensacola, Florida, and this is not the first time in the band’s 12-year history the name has caused a commotion.

Bikes sporting similar stickers at college campuses in Ohio and Philadelphia led to building closures, arrests and the bikes’ destruction by bomb squads acting on the assumption the sticker was announcing a real threat.

The owner of the Memphis bike was taken into custody by airport police, Greaud said, but was later released because they had no grounds to hold him. Greaud said federal authorities were discussing possible federal charges, but a federal source said it was “a non-event.”

Sex, Drugs, and Backdrop: Winter Quarter Magazine Release Party at 19 South

The geniuses at Backdrop Magazine are back at it again! To celebrate the premiere of their Winter issue, Backdrop Magazine is throwing a crazy party at 19 South in Athens, and believe me, if you were at the party last quarter you would KNOW to be at this one!!

Info from the Facebook event page:

Round two of the Backdrop Magazine Release party has arrived.
Come out to 19 South February 20th for some Sex, Drugs, & Backdrop.
We’ve got a stacked lineup starting at 8:30 that will continue rocking until 2:00 a.m.

Check out the new issue of Backdrop magazine, available Friday 2/20

Upstairs:
Amish Electric Chair
Two EB
Kaslo
She Bears
Front Royal
Mind Fish

Downstairs:
DJ Nig-Unit
Rapper Nig-Unit Featuring Notorious L.I.Z.
Self Help
D Jones

With comedian Matt Karp as MC

$3 over/$5 under

Sex, Drugs, & Backdrop–Live Dangerously…

Don’t forget to pick up your copy of Backdrop as soon as they hit newsstands February 20th!

Brown Dog the puggle eats delectable grapes to the sound of Mister Got Heat

No real rhyme or reason.. just my friend Jon Slater’s puggle (that’s half pug, half beagle, 100% snuggle) eating some green grapes to the sounds of Mister Got Heat, one of the best bands in Athens, OH.

Athens 2008 Halloween Celebration!

Hey everyone, here are some pictures from the 2008 Athens Halloween– click on the images for hi-res versions!
Also check out:
The Post’s article by Jessie Balmert about this year’s Halloween…
…or this one by Elizabeth Lundblad that critiques the celebration!

There were 54 people arrested (12 were Ohio University students). There were 34 arrests last year and 79 in 2006…

Court Street just before the celebration

Court Street in the other direction

Halloween revelers enjoying the celebration from the Courtside Apartments stairway

View from the main stage at Court Street and Union Street

View of the Court Street/State Street intersection

Vote for Athens’ own Dante Carter to be on the new season of The Real World!

Vote for Dante! (Pictured at far right)

Hey everyone, vote for my friend Dante Carter to be on the new season of MTV’s Real World! He’s a really great guy, and remember, you can vote once every 24 hours so vote vote vote!

Click here to vote for Dante!

Backdrop Magazine drops October 24!

This Friday, pick up the all new issue of Backdrop Magazine— Ohio University’s premiere fashion, arts, entertainment and culture magazine!!

Catch the editor-in-chief, publisher and photo editor making celebrity appearances on Real Time with Ryan Real, Athens’ channel 25 at 8 p.m. anytime this week! They will also be making an appearance on ACRN (All-Campus Radio Network) on Friday evening, promoting the Backdrop release party which is Saturday, October 25th, 10 p.m. at 19 South. DJ Sills of Oh Snat! It’s an Interview Show! will be interviewing Octoberfist and the Red Army who will be performing at the event. Other acts at the release party include DJ An-log, Nig Unit, Jesty Beatz and Grade School!

Make sure you pick up a copy of Backdrop Magazine this Friday and hit up the official release party Saturday night at 19 South!

Backdrop Magazine Release Party event page
Become a fan of Backdrop Magazine on Facebook