Students eager for a romantic — or musical — Valentine’s Day can bid on a date Friday.
The ACRN Date Auction and concert will take place at 10 p.m. Friday and participants hope it gets as rowdy as previous years.
“We have actually been paid extra to lose pants and t-shirts,” said Stephen Pence, vocalist for The She Bears. “We hope to get that rowdy again this year, continuing the tradition. “
The concert will include appearances from three different bands — the She Bears, Jake Householder from Scubadog and The Kyle Sowashes.
Volunteers from ACRN and the She Bears will be auctioned off in between acts. Each date will be paired with a gift card from a local business such as Goodfella’s Pizza, Chipotle and Big Mamma’s Burritos.
“It’s a great fundraiser and it’s a lot of fun,” said Rachel Haas, a sophomore studying journalism and ACRN contributor. “The music is always good. It’s one of my favorite events and ACRN is a really cool organization.”
Pence said that the band typically raises about $150 to $200 as a group and individual bids have been known to reach $75. The proceeds from the auction will also be used in the production of ACRN’s spring concert series, Lobsterfest.
“One of the girls last year was holding up money in her hand with one foot on stage and was literally yelling at the auctioneer,” Pence said. “The bidding can get a little intense but it gets to be really fun at the end because people combine their cash in order to keep bidding.”
The She Bears will be playing a few unnamed songs from their new album that will be released this coming summer.
“This crowd will be the first people outside of the band to hear these songs,” Pence said.
Not knowing what to expect, Kyle Sowash and The Kyle Sowashes, a Columbus based indie rock group, will be participating in the event for the first time but will not be auctioned off.
“ACRN has always been good to us throughout the years,” Sowash said. “They put on really great shows and we are happy to be apart of it.”
lf328610@ohiou.edu
IF YOU GO:
What: ACRN Date Auction: The She Bears, Jake Householder and The Kyle Sowashes
When: 10 p.m. Saturday
Where: The Union, 22 West Union St.
Admission: $3
