2008 Woodie Awards
It's a Zoo! It's a Ferris Wheel! It's GIG!
Elizabeth Fields
Issue date: 4/21/04 Section: News
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GIG, which stands for "Get Into Goucher" Day, takes place every year in the late spring. Classes are cancelled, most services on campus are closed, the chapel bells ring, and students, staff, and professors celebrate with a huge, carnival-like party.
Bon Appetit employees serve a barbecue and picnic on the lawn of the SRC. House Council, which sponsors GIG, is responsible for putting on a skit that introduces the "theme" of the day. There are usually rides, food, games, and other activities - and if that's not enough to encourage you to go, think of the petting zoo.
Last year's "Giddy-up Into Goucher"-themed GIG opened with a dance number performed by students in Porsha-Ni Dofat '06's hip-hop dance class, accompanied by Luis Daley '04. The annual skit was set in "Goucher Gulch," providing an excellent opening for the mechanical bull inside the SRC. Also inside were an inflatable obstacle/race course, a caricature stand, and the ever-popular cotton candy machine. Outside rides included the Ferris wheel, the Orbiter (not for the faint of stomach), and a Nascar driving simulation. A petting zoo on the lawn featured a sheep, a donkey, a goat, and several rabbits. Karaoke took place in the Stimson courtyard in the evening before the bands played in Pearlstone that night.
Two annual events precede GIG: Battle of the Bands, which took place on April 7, and At Your Service, which took place on March 31.
Battle of the Bands is just what it sounds like: any band with at least one Goucher student in it can play and compete for the chance to open for the band or bands playing at GIG. Last year The Poisonares won the Battle of the Bands and the chance to play with Don't Call Me Francis, a cover band from New Jersey, and Jump, Little Children, whose newest album was released yesterday.
This year, eleven groups entered Battle of the Bands, including The Soma Solution, Ostrofsky, Vigilant System, The Greg Wolf Band, and the Sexxies. About 250 people voted, according to Lauren White '04, who organized the event. "There were also a lot of people from off-campus who were there but couldn't vote," she said. "It was a really long night, something like 8 to 12:30, but it was a lot of fun."