SPEC completes final Spring Fling preparations

Spring Fling’s food, carnival and concert don’t appear out of thin air.

Multiple branches of the Social Planning and Events Committee have been hard at work all year, planning and preparing for this weekend’s Fling attractions and events. The past week has been the final stretch of preparation.

“The week before Fling is all about tying up loose ends. That includes everything from posting signs to preparing our committee members for their weekend roles,” College and Wharton sophomore and Spring Fling Committee co-Director Derek Standlee said in an emailed statement.

Responsible for multiple attractions, including the Quad carnival, the Spring Fling Committee manages set-up and recruitment of food vendors. On Friday, set-up in the Quad will begin at 6 a.m., when committee members will set up tents, finalize the stage set-up and transform McClelland into the focal point of Fling operations. Security also moves into place, and food vendors arrive to begin cooking early in the day.

“It’s a hectic process,” Standlee said.

Spring Fling committee members also took a shopping trip to BJ’s this week.

“We have to buy all of the food and drink that our committee and the concert performers require to make it through the weekend,” Wharton junior and co-Director of the Spring Fling Committee George Li said. “Bulk buying is always fun.”

The Spring Fling Committee is also striving to incorporate this year’s theme of “Peace, Love, and Fling” with seventies-themed attractions and food items.

“We hope to see the spirit of the 70s represented in tie-dyed everything at Fling: tanks, stickers, macarons at the carnival — you name it, it’s probably tie-dyed,” Engineering sophomore and Spring Fling Committee co-Director Katie Rolin said.

The Concerts Committee has been equally as busy over the past week, selling tickets and preparing for the arrival and performances of artists Magic Man, Ra Ra Riot and David Guetta. Their preparatory work also includes preparing for artist hospitality and production, as well as performing a walk-through of the entire concert to finalize logistics for the main event.

“I’d say about nine-tenths of my day is occupied by preparing for this concert,” SPEC Concerts co-Director and College senior Ben Yang said. “All the concerts committee members have put in a lot of work, averaging about twenty hours during ticket sales alone.”

On Friday, the Concerts Committee begins their artist hospitality efforts early in the day, then prepare the backstage space for the concert. Committee members run sound checks to ensure the audio system is working effectively and prep the stages for each artist to facilitate efficient set changes.

SPEC’s Jazz and Grooves Committee has also been actively preparing for its lineup of performers, including Blackedout, Com Truise, and Tobacco.

So far, Fling preparation has gone smoothly. Yang said that the remaining unpredictable variable will be the weather.

“I mean predictably the weather tends to be sporadic. It’s something we can’t control,” Yang said. I’m knocking on wood that there will be sunshine and rainbows tomorrow.”

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