Lobsterfest 2023!
May 30, 2023
On Friday, May 26, Union’s Student Forum hosted the annual Lobsterfest, a dining event where students were served full lobsters, watermelon, and brownies. For students who did not eat lobster, there was also halal Barbeque, hamburgers, and vegan options. All food options were free, including t-shirts given on a first come, first served basis. The t-shirts featured a design created by Taylor Traruing ‘23, which depicted a lobster smiling in a bucket.
Students gathered on West Beach for two hours to enjoy lobsters and live performances. Many students also learned how to properly eat a fully cooked lobster.
Unlike in recent years, WRUC, Union’s Radio Station, also hosted a battle of the bands competition. The student bands who participated were, Nikki Newcomer and Le Minh Vu, The National Anthem, Hiring Drummer, and Velvet Valentines.
Student bands prepared rigorously for the event. “We usually perform around twice per week. We have like a weekly meeting and then we kind of practice and then go through our songs trying to perfect it. As for today’s preparations we had three practices earlier, just trying to perfect everything,” Darren Viet Nguyen ‘25 of the Velvet Valentines said.
Some student bands performed covers of popular songs, while others performed original songs, such as the National Anthem’s song “I Don’t Believe.” The winner of the competition was decided by a QR code vote from attendees, and the pair Nikki Newcomer ‘23 and Le Minh Vu ‘24 won.
Also, unlike in previous years, Hot Chelle Rae, a pop band best known for their songs “Tonight, Tonight” (2011) and “I Like It Like That” (2011), performed at the event. Hot Chelle Rae is made up of Ryan Follesé, Nash Overstreet, and Jamie Follesé. The band had previously performed at Union’s Springfest in 2022, and expressed their gratitude at being able to come back.
WRUC, Union’s Radio Station, meets on Tuesdays at 6 PM in Reamer 401. Students can volunteer to take over the radio station at various points throughout the week. Student forum holds elections for first year representatives in the fall term, and for other positions in the spring term. The Union community also looks forward to Lobsterfest 2024!
