As students walked through the Shepherd Union Atrium on Wednesday, they were surrounded by people riding unicycles and walking on stilts, and tables advertising clubs
at Weber State University for the annual Clubs and Organizations Carnival.
“It brings all the clubs together and it showcases what they have done throughout the year,” said Abelardo Saucedo, the Clubs and Organizations vice president, who helped put the event together. “It’s also a way for us to thank everybody for their work and their accomplishments — specifically the clubs, but we wanted to make it a fun event for all students.”
This is the second year Clubs and Organizations has hosted the carnival. Saucedo said they used many of the performers they used last year, but he has noticed that more clubs have been involved this year.
“This really is for the students, to show them that Weber State really is a great place and that we can have a lot of fun here and enjoy what we have,” he said. “Get involved — it’s all about getting involved and enjoying your school.”
One of the performances at the carnival was two aerialists, who hung aerial silk from the atrium ceiling and performed acrobatic tricks from them.
Both performers, Trish Paulos and Mary Wolfe, are professional aerialists. They both perform and train at Aerial Arts of Utah in Salt Lake City. Wolfe also works at Sea World during the summer in the park’s aerial show.
Paulos has been performing as an aerialist for four years, and Wolfe has been performing for two and a half years. Both aerialists came up with their own choreography and had three performances throughout the day.
“One of my favorites is just a drop that puts you into wrist locks, so you are just locked in by your hands, and you can do a lot of poses that way,” Paulos said. “I haven’t seen a lot of people do it, so it’s unique and I like that. It’s funny, because the skills that are usually the most difficult it seems like bring about the least amount of ‘oohs’ and ‘ahs’ from the audience.”
Along with performances, WSU clubs had tables set up in the atrium and in the Bell Tower Plaza. The WSU Art Guild sold pieces by art students at its booth.
“We’re here to help them promote and make money on their art,” said Kolbie Farabee, a photography major. Farabee was also selling some of her photos. She splashed the film with watercolors before taking the pictures, which came out with spots of color on them. She said the guild gives all the money made to the students who created the art.
The event also featured a booth where students could hold snakes, tarantulas and scorpions. Jordan Drage, who works at Creature Encounters, the company that provided the animals, let people wear the snakes on their shoulders.
Drage let people hold an 18-inch Granite Burmese python named Keith Stone. He said none of the animals the company has are aggressive and that the species themselves are non-aggressive.
“Before getting a snake, you have to do your homework,” Drage said. “That’s the biggest point we try and teach people.”
Aimee Holloway, a visual arts major, was one of the people who held a snake. She said it was her first time holding a snake.
“Usually I’m terrified of the garter snakes I have in my lawn, but it wasn’t too bad,” Holloway said. “It was just like having a 2-pound scarf on.”
Some of the clubs put on performances as well. A club called Art and Culture Through Music and Movement performed a belly dance and taught some of the attendees a belly dance as well.
“It’s a style of dance that promotes femininity,” said Leyla, the dance instructor for the group. “It’s a secure environment that accepts every figure, no matter what size. It’s a club that promotes that all women are beautiful.”
