2018 Blister in the Sun
Maryville College’s annual Student Programming Board-hosted Blister in the Sun kicked off on May 5th and was a rollicking success for every extracurricular club on the Maryville College campus that participated.
Blister in the Sun is aptly named after the 1983 alternative rock song, “Blister in the Sun” by the Violent Femmes. The song is reminiscent of a fun summer’s day and would remind listeners of the joys to be had during the season of summer. Similarly, what is arguably SPB’s most important event of the year reminds Maryville College students that summer is just around the corner, and to finish the semester out strong so that they can enjoy all the fun to be had over the summer.
The main attraction to Blister in the Sun, beyond the free T-shirts, would have to be the various bounce-houses set up on the north side of the main campus quad. These bounce houses offered a variety of games and opportunities for fun in the Appalachian sun— Though for journalistic integrity, this writer will state that it was actually quite humid and overcast— that lasted from the morning until the afternoon.
Various booths were set up by the campus’ extracurricular groups, including the Highland Echo. The Highland Echobooth possessed lemonade, paper mache using old newspapers, and of course poetry being formed by crossing out words on old newspapers to form something new. The paper mache was only moderately successful, with the Highland Echo staff only being able to produce two arms and a head for their intended paper mache man.
Other groups, however, found more success in their activities. Many people made magical slime at the Harry Potter Club’s booth, and the constant stream of bubbles wafting from the Intervarsity Christian Fellowship’s table made their way all across campus. Two groups even had beer pong and cornhole, respectively, of which people were always interested in playing
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The aforementioned Blister in the Sun T-shirts were a striking red which was extremely visible and stood out brightly as many attendees changed into the shirts on the spot. The shirts themselves are a soft material that helped alleviate the heat that was felt throughout the day.
Though the weather wasn’t exactly as the namesake would imply, Maryville College’s Blister in the Sun did exactly what it set out to do: to remind us that summer is just around the corner and to not lose hope in the well-deserved break we’ll all be taking soon.