SA Reviews: SA Fest
May 5, 2021
Last weekend was our first annual SA Fest, and what a time it was! With this week, our goal was to highlight various talent in the wide spectrum of music and arts. We admired the beauty of photography and chalk drawings, learned about fly-fishing, and rocked out with John Mark McMillan. We kicked it off with the Online Photo Expo where students can submit their photography to be showcased on our Facebook page. We got to see some amazing pictures that depicted various aspects of life.
On Thursday, we went to Hydaway where Ethan Martin, the owner of TaleTellers Fly Shop, taught us about making three different lures to enhance your fly-fishing experience. Each person got to make two worm lures, two nymph lures, and two bug lures. They also got to learn more about TaleTellers Fly Shop and more about Ethan’s shop in downtown Lynchburg.
Then, students watched News of the World – a movie about Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd escorting a ten-year-old child across the harsh western terrain. They come across danger from other people and from natural world. Students were able to treat themselves to concessions and free popcorn while watching on the big screen in Vines.
We hosted our first ever Chalk the Lot on Saturday where we showcased students’ talent by letting them turn a parking space into their artistic creation. Also, seniors were celebrated with free Rookie’s or Golf Park Coffee and free Domino’s pizza. We also gave each senior a free t-shirt designed by our graphic design team. To put the icing on the cake, we jammed out with McKenna Stamm, TJ Lawson, and Noah McLeroy who performed live music for students to enjoy.
To close out the week, we spent the night with talented John Mark McMillan and John Mark Pantana. John Mark Pantana opened the show with mellow, yet powerful lyrics backed with stories from his walk with Jesus. John Mark McMillan headlined the show and captivated the room with his relatable and personal expert songwriting backed by his robust instrumentals.
We had a blast at this year’s SA Fest. We were excited to give a platform to artists to showcase their talents in a variety of ways. We can’t wait to be back at SA Fest next year with new events and artists!
Written by: Andrew Reynolds
Andrew Reynolds is a Senior Project Management Major, and enjoys writing for the blog because of the opportunity it gives him to grow as a writer and to challenge himself to see current topics and discussions from a view point he may not have otherwise thought about.