Harding University’s Campus Activity Board will host the First Thaw Festival in its opening year as a benefit for the Little Rock-based nonprofit organization, Heifer International, April 1-2, bringing music, film and art onto Harding’s campus for the public to enjoy.
All profits from the festival will go to Heifer International, an organization that since 1944 has helped 13.6 million families in more than 125 countries move toward greater self-reliance through the gift of livestock and training in Earth-friendly agricultural practices. The impact of each gift is multiplied as recipients agree to Pass on the Gift by giving one or more of their animals’ offspring, or the equivalent, to another family in need.
“Our goal for this event is to entertain while educating and informing our student population and surrounding areas,” Director of Campus Life Corey McEntyre said.
Headlining the festival will be The Avett Brothers, a North Carolina band that boasts a musical mixture of folk, country, bluegrass, rock, and pop and recently was featured as an opening act for John Mayer’s 2010 world tour. Other bands performing during the festival represent a medley of rock, soul, pop, folk and blues music, including Langhorne Slim, Green River Ordinance, The Non-Commissioned Officers, The Sheriffs of Nottingham, Joe Garner and the New Strangers, Cheyenne and Priscilla Medders, and Some Different Animals. All performances will be held in Harding’s Rhodes Field House.
The event will kick off Friday, April 1, at 7 p.m. with a showing of the documentary “Food, Inc.” in the Administration Auditorium. The film details the increasingly mechanized processes America’s food undergoes before arriving in the local grocery store.
An art gallery displaying the works of Arkansas visual artists will also be open Saturday afternoon in campus galleries and tents. All work will be for sale, and 15 percent of the sales will be donated to Heifer International.
Tickets will be available for purchase Monday, Feb. 21, at www.CABtickets.com. Each ticket purchased will provide a wristband covering entrance to the festival both days.
$50 General public
$10 With Harding University CAB Pass
First Thaw Festival to benefit Heifer International in April at Harding University
February 20, 2011 by
