If you hear music blasting outside on the SURC patio, it’s most likely courtesy of 88.1 The ‘Burg, Central’s college radio station. Recently the station has been preparing for their second annual College Radio Day.

This year, the celebration will include a glow parade starting at 7:30 p.m. on the SURC east patio and lead into a free concert featuring popular Pacific Northwest bands in the Iron Horse Brewery parking lot on Main Street.

College Radio Day celebration

According to Elena Larrabee,  junior psychology and public relations major and brand manager for 88.1 The ‘Burg, College Radio Day is a national day of celebration for college radio that is held on the first Friday of October every year. This is the second year that the ‘Burg will be hosting a celebration for it.

“Basically, College Radio Day [is] a great way to get the word out about college radio and make people aware of who we are and what we do, throw a great celebration and have a lot of fun” Larrabee said.

The celebration will be held in the Iron Horse Brewery parking lot on Main Street, and it’s open to all, including minors. There will be three food trucks there, as well as an extended beer garden courtesy of Iron Horse Brewery.

The festivities will kick off with a glow parade.

“It’s like a regular parade, but it’s at night time and it’s all gonna be neon colors and glow sticks and glow floats, more fun than a normal parade,” Larrabee said. ”It will be really very visually cool.”

The celebration is going to be both a campus and community event, so it has been widely promoted both at Central and in town.

Jeff McMillan, senior broadcast and public relations major, is the Sports Coordinator for the radio station.

“College Radio Day is the one chance of the year that we have to celebrate opportunities for students in radio to take chances and risks that wouldn’t normally have, and receive opportunities that they wouldn’t normally have, “ McMillan said.

The lineup

Nick Oliver, senior broadcast journalism major and assistant program director, said there is a great line-up for the free concert this year.

“It all starts on the float, we are gonna have a local Ellensburg group called Thunder Hound…They will be playing the float on the way down to the actual concert,” Oliver said.

According to Oliver, the opening act for the concert is a group called Fauna Shade, have an old-wave rock and roll style. The headliner for the concert will be Aryon Jones and The Way, who have a new-age rock style.

“Anybody who wants to hear what I think the new genre of rock in the next couple of years will sound like should come see Aryon Jones,” Oliver said.

Seeing what the ‘Burg does

Many students don’t actually know a lot about the radio station, and College Radio Day will showcase what the ‘Burg does and provides a great opportunity for students to get to know the station, Larrabee said.

“First and foremost it’s gonna be super fun, and it’s a free event so what college student doesn’t love that,” Larrabee said. “Secondary because it’s a great opportunity to get to know 88.1 The ‘Burg and what we do around here.”

There will also be a lot of on-air content being broadcast on College Radio Day.

“There will be interview blocks showcasing some of the best interviews students at the ‘Burg have done this past year,” Oliver said.

Besides broadcasting locally, 88.1 The ‘Burg will be hosting the international College Radio Day broadcast for the second year in a row. This year, two live streams will feature the ‘Burg, one nationally and one internationally.

“I would encourage it because in Ellensburg, especially for students under the legal drinking age, sometimes there’s not a lot to do on a weekend after six or seven and were just trying to put together a good event for student to come have fun and enjoy,” said Oliver. “I would encourage them to come out because it’s opportunity to see good local music and a good opportunity to have something to do on a weekend that you might not usually get to do.”