Who says there is no such thing as a free lunch? The VIUSU served up hearty amounts of chili and cheer with their annual Funky Frost Fair; a carnival-like celebration to help students shake off their winter blues.
“Its a welcome back event for the students to bring in the spring semester,” says Delaney Sullivan, the VIUSU’s Director of Events.
The Funky Frost Fair was held on Jan. 17 in front of the library of VIU’s Nanaimo campus. The three-hour event drew a large crowd of students and staff who were treated to carnival confections including popcorn, cotton candy, and snow cones courtesy of VIUSU. There was also live music by DJ All Good, who spun fresh beats on a solar-powered turntable.
The event also featured a Funky Sweater Contest, as students were invited to sport their most fabulous sweaters in the VIUSU photo booth. A chili eating contest, which featured over 50 dozen buns prepared by Professional Baking students proved to be a popular draw to the event.
Brittany Caldwell was among the Professional Baking students who prepared the vast number of buns to accompany the massive vat of chili.
“It was a little stressful but all in all, with everyone pitching in, it was pretty easy,” Caldwell says of the long early hours spent baking the buns. The students baked many different varieties of buns to compliment the spicy snack including multigrain, sourdough, challah, and whole wheat.
Caldwell, like many other students attending the fair, found that it was a great way to start off a successful spring semester, as well as a great way to spend an afternoon with fellow students.
The VIUSU also held a Free Skate and a Movie Night, showing the film Hot Tub Time Machine prior to the fair, as part of their welcome back festivities to students. Sullivan adds that there will be many more free fun events towards the end of the spring semester.