Fling '94: Strangest in years

"Spring Fling 1994: Stranger Flings Have Happened" did not live up to its name. That's because this year's celebration was arguably one of the strangest in recent memory. "I can't imagine a stranger set of circumstances surrounding a Spring Fling," said Fling co-Director and Wharton sophomore Gil Beverly. "As fun as it was, I'm looking forward to a less strange Fling next year." While Friday's weather could not have been more perfect -- sunny and over 80 degrees -- late Friday night and Saturday morning were a different story. When Fling coordinators arrived as scheduled at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, they were shocked to see how much rain had fallen. Completely flooded by massive downpours, the Quad was deemed unfit for electricity by a Quad electrician, coordinators said. "It was crazy raining?pouring, winds picking up -- it was very dark and nasty," Beverly said. "At that time, the Quad electrician told us, 'Even if the rain stops, we still cannot turn on the electricity because there would be a risk of electrocutions.'" Beverly added that sound system providers called and said they would not set up in the Quad. Fling co-Director and Wharton senior Kofi McCleary said the Quad's condition was "much worse than last year," when rain soaked the dorm for much of the Fling weekend and forced the cancellation of the Living Colour concert in Hill Field. "People saw more of the rain [last year], but there was at least as much or probably more water around this year," he said, adding that most of this year's rain came early Saturday morning when many people were still sleeping. Beverly said while most of the vendors were sent home because of the lack of electricity, several vendors remained. Among those that stayed were Monroe's Barbeque, Hatley's Funnel Cakes, Taco Lou's and Smitty's French Fries. Though Beverly felt "the call to cancel was premature" and "the electrician was a little hasty," he quickly thought of an alternate plan. "It occurred to me that we could get a radio station," he said. "I decided to go with WQHS and offer them the opportunity to play music in the Lower Quad and entertain people." WQHS, the University's student-run radio station, set up their equipment and sent music waves through the Lower Quad once again. The station even lent its microphones out to several University a cappella groups -- including Pennsylvania 6-5000, Mask & Wig and Off the Beat -- so those groups could perform their regularly-scheduled shows. "The Lower Quad was as crowded as it was the day before," Beverly said. "People hung out and danced and it carried on like normal." Well, almost normal. There were also those who chose football in the mud over dancing. Beverly said that while Fling was very successful overall, he hopes students were not disheartened by Saturday's "strangeness." "I know some people will be disappointed with the way things worked out Saturday, [but] the events were way out of anyone's control," he said. "I hope when people judge this Fling, they take into account that people still had fun and that we tried our damnedest."