After months of winter weather and dark basement parties, leaders in many Greek organizations say they will move their social events outdoors for Green Key Weekend. Theta Delta Chi fraternity's pig roast, Phi Delta Alpha fraternity's block party and Alpha Delta fraternity's lawn party will all offer students and alumni a chance to celebrate spring outdoors this weekend.
On Friday afternoon, Phi Delt will kick off Green Key Weekend with its annual Block Party, Phi Delt member Alexander Bowers '09 said in an e-mail to The Dartmouth. Webster Avenue will be shut down for the event.
The Block Party will feature New York-based blues-rock quintet Assembly of Dust, led by former Strangefolk frontman Reid Genauer, performing on an outdoor stage. Although the band may not be particularly well-known on campus, its musical style and lyrics seemed to correspond well with the spirit of Green Key Weekend, Bowers said.
"Genauer's songs are mostly about familiar subjects, like hanging out and drinking on porches, themes which I feel resonate pretty well with the Dartmouth campus, certainly with Phi Delts," Bowers said.
The entertainment will begin at 2:30 p.m. with an opening act by the campus band Clusterfunk. Assembly of Dust will begin playing at 4 p.m., with two 60-minute sets and an encore, Bowers said.
Planning for the party began in the fall, and Bowers said they are excited for another successful event.
"We're keeping our fingers crossed for good weather, but regardless, it should be a most excellent time for everyone," he said. "It's certainly a staple of Green Key and pretty emblematic of the spirit of the weekend."
The outdoor festivities will continue on Saturday, starting with the Theta Delt pig roast at 1 p.m. The event will feature live entertainment and food prepared by Facility Operations and Management employee Dave Jenks. Jenks will roast several large pigs in a smoker throughout the day. The meat will then be pulled off the pig and served with several different sauces and sides provided by Jenks.
Theta Delt holds a pig roast on the big weekend of every term, and the event is considered one of the fraternity's biggest Green Key Weekend traditions, according to social chair Jon Carty '10. The event draws many College alumni, Carty said, even those not affiliated with Theta Delt.
"It's fun to see everyone show up because it's an event they center their Green Key around," Carty said.
AD will host its annual Lawn Party on Saturday afternoon, social chair Jesse Pyeatte '10 said.
Other fraternities, including organizations placed on probation during Winter and Spring terms, will host evening events during Green Key Weekend. Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity hosted a Pop/Punk dance party Thursday night, according to Sig Ep President Eric Schwager '10.
"We have been using the punishment as an opportunity to better educate our members about responsible and appropriate alcohol consumption," Schwager said in an e-mail to The Dartmouth.
Kappa Kappa Kappa fraternity is also off probation and will host a dance party on Friday night.
Also on Friday night, Sigma Nu fraternity will host its annual early 80's dance party.
Chi Gamma Epsilon will host Gammapalooza, a combination dance party and live performance, on Friday evening, featuring hip-hop artist Izza Kizza and DJs from campus and around the country.
"With Gammapalooza, we wanted to inject some creativity into Green Key Weekend," said Chi Gam member and event organizer Ruslan Tovbulatov. "We wanted to take it beyond a single organization and even beyond Dartmouth itself."
The event is co-sponsored by Beta Alpha Omega fraternity.
