Severe weather puts damper on Be Out Day

The 14th annual Be Out Day was held Saturday and turned out to be a wet one.

Despite severe weather warnings from the local weather forecast, cloudy weather did not keep students and the local community from enjoying Be Out Day. The rain, however, did cut the event short. 

On the other hand, many people were still unsure if the annual event would even take place this year.

 “I don’t think a lot of people knew exactly where it was being held this year,” said Dex Rho, 20, a business administration student and sophomore senator from Fort Lauderdale.

This year’s Be Out Day was not held at last year’s location on the new intramural field, but on the lawn behind the Benjamin L. Perry building.

“It’s smaller than it usually is. I’m used to it being at the new intramural field,” said Jeremy Hicks, 21, a senior sociology student from Miami. “I think not as many people showed up because of the weather.”

Although the weather may have been bad, it did not stop the purpose of the event.

“I like Be Out Day because it brings the community together,” Rho said.

This year’s events included large, inflatable bounce houses and cotton candy for the children, music from DJ KD and KD Sounds, a hula hoop contests and a “spin the wheel” for various prizes.

Various organizations participated in Be Out Day events. Some of them had tables set up for handing out pamphlets and others were advertising their organization.

The Beta Alpha Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. was present with posters showing its current fundraiser for reality show “Oprah’s Big Give.”

Another organization called Women Reaching Out Against Cervical Cancer had a booth set up for participants to spin a wheel to win various prizes. The prizes included a $50 gas card, T-shirts, buttons and bandanas.

The organization’s mission is to raise awareness of cervical cancer.

“We are trying to reach out to the youth and young ladies to teach them about cervical cancer and how to prevent and treat it,” said Areias Williams, 22, a junior cardio pulmonary science student from Tallahassee.

The Student Government Association was the sole annual sponsor of the free event and members could be found in green shirts in various locations serving food.

Essence Dance Troupe was supposed to perform on stage but was unable to because of a sudden downpour.

The event, which normally ends around 4 p.m., ended at 2 p.m. 

“This is my first Be Out Day. Besides the rain, I guess it was OK. I heard that it is usually fun,” said Shavar Akins, 19, a freshman business administration student from Toronto.