The UC Grand Room was decked out in flannel and denim on Jan. 18 as familiar boot-scooting melodies rang out from the DJ booth.
Last Minute Productions hosted Wheehaw – the much-anticipated countrified night of dance, bull-riding and karaoke. The event first took place in fall 2021, and it was a huge hit on campus.
“We didn’t do it in 2022 and we got a lot of questions and people were wondering why and wanting to bring it back. So whenever it was time to pitch events for this semester, I wanted to bring it back and see what we could do to make it even better,” Lyndsey Conway, an employee with Last Minute Productions said.
The event, back by popular demand, filled the UC Grand Room with students for line-dancing and a live DJ. A total of 480 students were in attendance. The dance floor was a judgement-free zone as people stumbled through new dances and tripped over one another’s cowboy boots. Grapevines, jazz squares and the do-si-do played out to a soundtrack of country classics and pop hits.
“It’s so fun just to dance and not be judged for it,” attendee Faith Robinson said.
A line snaked through the crowd as people excitedly waited for their chance to saddle up on the mechanical bull. Crowds formed to spectate as riders competed to see who could hang on the longest.
“It was really challenging because you couldn’t really grab ahold of what you were going to do until like the point you were going to fall off,” attendee McKenna Reed said.
In the next room the fun continued. The UC Illusions was set up with a stage and karaoke machine. There were board games and tables full of karaoke spectators. Chaotic performances of “Life Is a Highway” and “Dixieland Delight” garnered laughter from the audience.
Conway compared the night’s atmosphere to a country honky-tonk.
“It seems like a lot of people are having fun,” Conway said.
LMP has a full schedule of exciting events happening in February. Grab your valentine or your “galentine” for a night of bracelet making and rom-coms on Feb. 14 in the UC. There will be an open mic night on Feb. 22.
