Annual Block Party draws large crowd for outdoor festival

Unwinding from the first week of classes on campus at Liberty University, returning students and incoming freshmen enjoyed fellowship and festivities among friends at Student Activities’ annual Block Party, held Saturday night in the parking lot between the LaHaye Ice Center and LaHaye Recreation & Fitness Center.

Besides being amused on carnival rides and games, educated about academic departments and student-led clubs, and nourished by a variety of local food trucks, they were entertained by upbeat sounds of popular Christian bands Dave Barnes, Colony House, and Lynchburg, Va.-based Vacation Manor in a free concert.

Students took advantage of photo booths set up at multiple locations, including one under the main Student Activities tent with a Block Party 2016 backdrop. Thrill seekers took turns aboard a catapult ride or on a Ferris wheel while others enjoyed bungee trampolines and inflatable competition stations with gladiator battles and other obstacles.

Interested student-athletes tried their hand at racquetball — with Head Coach Danny Rodriguez holding a radar gun to test the speeds of prospective players’ serves — Ultimate, and disc golf, with a practice basket positioned between lines for the rides. An outdoor rock wall was also set up for those wanting to scale new heights and try out for the newest Club Sport, rock climbing.

Other student clubs represented at tables ranged from Liberty’s bass fishing, fencing, Jiu Jitsu, and table tennis teams to Young Americans for Freedom and Stand with Israel.

Along with the usual carnival fare of pizza, burgers, and barbeque, as well as funnel cakes and shaved ice, students sampled gourmet gluten-free entrees and organic coffees and teas.

Those culinary delights whet the appetite for the evening entertainment. With the steel frame structure of the football team’s indoor practice facility providing an impressive backdrop to the stage set up across the street from Williams Stadium, Colony House delivered a high-energy grand finale with its heart-pounding performance capped by a spectacular fireworks show that lit up the night sky, illuminating campus.

The band from Franklin, Tenn., has appeared at Liberty a few times in the seven years since its founding. When it started in 2010, lead guitarist Scott Mills was studying though Liberty’s online programs.

The group inspired students to make the most of their time at Liberty, capitalizing on opportunities God gives them, even through trials such as those the musicians have experienced in their own lives.

“We’re a band that firmly believes in not only second chances but 200,000 chances,” lead vocalist Caleb Chapman said during an afternoon Q & A session held in the Student Activities office. He, along with his younger brother, Will, are sons of contemporary Christian artist Steven Curtis Chapman. “Our message is the same to college students as it is to anyone else, whether it’s at Liberty or at Lynchstock (where the band played last spring). ‘You’re at an important stage of your life. This is an awesome stage. Just like life, there’s beautiful things in all of it, and there’s a lot of excitement. Enjoy your life, enjoy your college days … and you can always grow.’”