The Wonderful Festivities of FROSTOBERFEST

FROSTOBERFEST flyer

FROSTOBERFEST: 

"Put on Your Lederhosen & Join in the Family Fun!"

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Frostburg, Maryland is just a tiny speck on a map of the United States of America. However, as a local who has lived in Frostburg for about 13 years, I can assure you that in our case - size doesn't matter. There are many events that occur in town throughout the year, and today on the 27th of September, 2014, I was able to experience the excitement of "FROSTOBERFEST." 

A list of events during FROSTOBERFEST

Beginning at 1 PM and lasting until 11 PM, FROSTOBERFEST offered both kids and adults alike a variety of entertainment. This included pony rides, live music, a "paint a goat" station, a towering inflatable slide, face painting, balloon animals, and some delicious food. When the sun was up, Frostburg (specifically East Main Street) was packed with different families and individuals looking to enjoy themselves during this special event. However, being the insomniac that I am, I decided there would be entertainment more suited for someone my age after dark. After the sun set, I headed over to Zen Shi to try to get a scoop on what exactly people thought of FROSTOBERFEST! 

Zen Shi during FROSTOBERFEST

There was so much noise coming from Zen Shi, I was sure there had to have been something fun going on there. Drinks in hand, many people enjoyed the entertainment that a live band had to offer. However, I didn't get any closer than this. At the entrance was a tattooed, bulky "bouncer" type man who asked for my ID. Although I tried to explain to him I was just trying to get some pictures for an article for class, he still told me no. Discouraged, I decided to head to Dante's in hopes I was able to get in, since I had once before being only nineteen. 

"X's" drawn to signify unworthiness
to consume alcoholic beverages

After trekking the large hill to get to Dante's, my boyfriend and I were hopeful that we'd be able to get in. After talking to the man at the front door and explaining my situation, we had two large "X's" drawn on each of our hands, but were able to get in. I hung up my coat and made my way into the bar, up the stairs, and to the outdoor section of Dante's. Sitting at a table were a group of older adults who seemed to be having a good time, so I decided to talk to them. Dressed in an interesting outfit was a man sitting in one of the chairs. He introduced himself as John. I asked him about the events that he had the pleasure to experience during FROSTOBERFEST. He had arrived at 2 PM, only an hour after the events had started. He had enjoyed a German pretzel from Dante's, then visited a mustache teeter-totter at Zen Shi. Apparently the mustache teeter-totter was strictly for photo purposes, but made for some "great pictures." He then made his way to the Bar Monkey, which is located right across from the Frostburg library. There, they were holding a keg toss. John admitted that he only tossed a mere 13 feet. The winner of the male's keg toss tossed an amazing 26 feet, whereas the female winner tossed 19; winning herself $23. "It was fun," John concluded. "It was a wonderful adventure."

John and Stacy decked out in fun outfits

John also had a few friends with him. I was able to meet Stacy, Diane, Carol, and Jonathon - three of which also had something to add about FROSTOBERFEST. Diane said that it was "a great thing for Frostburg, lots of entertainment up and down main street and was successful for many businesses." She also added that she was "very pleased to have children involved and make it a great family event." Carol chimed in after this saying, "I did see a lot of families coming down."
When I asked Jonathon, a guy who recently moved to the area from Montgomery County, he told me it was "lonely going to bar after bar by yourself" and that FROSTOBERFEST gave him the chance to "make lots of friends and build connections."

It seems as if FROSTOBERFEST created an opportunity for families and people of all ages to enjoy a day (and for some, a night) in their community. This annual event is definitely something I would suggest checking out next year if you get the chance!

I want to go to Disney Land

                                                             I want to go to Disney Land
By: Wayne Cottman

       Kenyatta Malloy was born on January 25, 1993 in Fort Washington, MD. She's a senior at Frostburg State University and majors in mass communications with a minor in public relations. Kenyatta is in the sorority Alpha Sigma Tau and is currently the oldest member.

        She has an obsession for Vampire Diaries and  the Originals. Her favorite movie is the proposal. Disney channel is one of her favorite stations to watch. She loves Sandra Bullock and Miley Cyrus.
"Miley Cyrus is my favorite artist. She's still the same kind interesting person she used to be just with a new look."- Kenyatta Malloy

        There are many interesting things about Kenyatta. One of the most interesting things that happened to Kenyatta was her experience working at Disney World and how it inspired her for what she wanted to do as a career. Sometime during a semester of last year, Kenyatta decided that it was time to take a semester off in order focus on getting money and take a break from school. During her semester off, she was selected to work at Disney World for the Disney College program.

       Being very excited for the opportunity of working at "The Happiest Place on Earth", she accepted the offer. Working in the Disney College program had a lot of benefits suck as: provided housing, living in Florida for seven months, getting to be in Disney Land, and gaining the necessary experience of communications for her major. This experience is something she will never forget and is very happy to have been a part of the program.

        "I enjoyed my time working for the Disney College program. I met amazing cast members and amazing guests... Because Disney is such a large corporation that is based strongly in guest relations field it is the cast members that make them the company that they are today."- Kenyatta Malloy

        Kenyatta really liked the program and all that its done for her. In fact, she's so appreciative of the Disney World College Program that she wants to be involved with the program in the future for her career. After speaking to her about what she plans to do for her career. Kenyatta's response was," I would love to one day become a part of the division that runs the college program. Revamp the housing, offer more course that can cater to the needs of the college students participating in the program. Just make it more beneficial for the students that have taken time off of school to come and work for the Walt Disney company."

The Diversity of Jordyn

Jordyn, a junior here at Frostburg State University, has quite the variety of hobbies. To begin, Jordyn loves animals of many different kinds. She has six dogs and two ferrets as pets. "I like animals. A skunk? I'll take it!" said Jordyn. Aside from her interest and hobby of caring for animals, Jordyn loves to do a number of physical activities. Last year, Jordyn played on the women's rugby team here at Frostburg State; also, she was a "die-hard cheerleader," up until this year. Jordyn was a gymnastics coach, and a lifeguard. All of these things Jordyn said she enjoyed and (in some cases) continues to enjoy.
          The hobby that should be elaborated most on is Jordyn's interest in music. Jordyn stated that she listens to any genre of music, with the exceptions of jazz and classical. Also, she has some very good tastes in music. She enjoys all things from Ed Sheeran to Childish Gambino, and other artists that are topping the charts. However, when confronted about her favorite artist/genre, Jordyn had a difficult time deciding. Her favorite artist is Diplo, and her favorite genre of music is pop. Jordyn said, "I would go to a Diplo concert anytime!" This interest in music ties in to Jordyn's favorite video game being Dance Dance Revolution! Jordyn used to play the game all the time. Jordyn said that she used to go to the arcade with a friend of hers and play for hours on end at the giant competition setups for DDR in the arcade. Jordyn went on to say that she would even buy one of these massive competition setups for DDR to this day!
          To conclude, Jordyn has quite a diversity in her hobbies and types of music. Some other aspects of Jordyn's life are that she is a Communication Studies major here at FSU, with a minor in Public Relations. Her family is small and of a military background. Due to this military background, Jordyn has lived in seven states. This could, potentially, tie in to her diverse interests and tastes in music.Overall, Jordyn is an interesting and diverse person. It would be any one's pleasure to sit down and learn more about Jordyn and the diversity she shows in her tastes and life.

Brittany Buckel: Writing her own Future

Take a 20 year old, junior with a knack for writing, grammar, and a passion for English and you have Brittany Buckel. A native to the Grantsville, Md. Area; Brittany decided to take up her studies at Frostburg State University, not only because of the incredibly affordable tuition, but to be near her family. Brittany currently lives with her mom, stepdad, younger brother and sister.

Before she had it all figured out, Brittany was studying psychology here at our campus, until she decided to take a year off. A year that she spent working, and traveling, to our nation’s capital to visit her boyfriend. But not only did she spend that time visiting her special someone, she spent some time visiting the national museums, and catching up on her reading. Surely she enjoyed this time off since Brittany feels that, “it sucks that school starts so I can’t read as much.” So she spent some much needed time catching up on a few memoirs (nonfiction) and checking out different fiction genres, “anything except crime novels,” says Brittany. The time she took off from school helped her to center her thoughts and find a major that really spoke to her, English.

A future of work in the field of publishing is what Brittany has in mind. “I like buying and reading books, so I want to provide that pleasure for other people,” says Buckel.  Despite that fact that Brittany has received a job offer from the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (NPR), in writing or journalism. She has also been offered an internship at the Children’s National Hospital.  But she has decided to keep her eyes on the prize and pursue the field that she loves. Penguin Books USA, named one of the top five international publishing

companies would be a dream internship for Brittany. While publishing may be a dream of hers she has chosen not to limit herself to just one field. Brittany is also interested in possibly traveling and teaching English abroad. Spreading her love for a language to a new generation of young learners. 

A Family That Belongs to Destiny

           Destiny ShayRon Currie is a quiet person, but has much to say. She is a Sophomore at Frostburg, majoring in English, with a minor in Journalism, and while she discussed her schooling experiences, and sports she likes playing, she most of all enjoyed talking about her family.

         Destiny seemed reluctant at first to talk about her family, but then opened up more as the conversation progressed. Destiny has a big family, larger on her father’s side than on her mother’s. She noted that her father’s side of the family is on the older side, mostly age fifty or older. Her father has four siblings, while her mother has three. Destiny’s two uncles have passed away on her mother’s side, but one aunt is still alive. Her Grandmother on her father’s side has been married more than once. Her first husband passed away, and then her second husband died when Destiny was in seventh grade, not really remembering either of them that well. 

            Destiny’s Grandfather passed away, and she detailed one aspect of the funeral very well. After the viewing took place, when everyone was up at her Grandmother’s funeral site, when they were beginning to bury her, and the priest had just finished his speech. As is customary at some funerals, pigeons were then released. However, as the pigeons were released, Destiny suddenly saw black birds start to circle down from the sky and catch the pigeons. They were crows. Destiny and her brother started laughing, but her grandmother was so angry and disappointed in them for laughing at a funeral. “It was crazy. But we couldn’t stop laughing,” she said with a smile. Destiny still remembers that incident very well and said that she understands the context now, but still remembers it as being very funny.  

           Since then, Destiny has enjoyed her time at Frostburg and looks forward to taking more classes in English. She explained that she once worked at  “something called a journalism camp,” which she believes has helped her better her craft in writing. Destiny doesn’t watch that much television anymore, but she talked of how much she loves Criminal Minds. Destiny played many sports when growing up, including softball, cheerleading in high school, basketball, and tennis. When asked what kind of music she likes, she was hesitant to talk of a particular genre, but explained that she, “Likes whatever sounds good to me.”