Thousands of people gathered in the Cotton District Friday night for the food, music and festivities of MSUܬs seventh annual Bulldog Bash.
Sponsored by the Student Association, Bulldog Bash featured three stages set up throughout the Cotton District on which various musical artists performed. In The Street Productions helped bring in the line-up of artists, including Christian rock band Big Daddy Weave, up-and-coming r&b artist Cheri Dennis, and nationally-known alternative/Southern rock group Sister Hazel.
SA external events committee member Lindsey Parker said the planning process for the event began in the spring.
ܬWe had a lot of meetings and consulted with In The Street Productions. A lot of planning went into Bulldog Bash,ܬ Parker said.
In The Street Productions co-creator Cliff Jones said the main interest of the company is to communicate with students to determine the types of artists to hire.
Lead singer and keyboardist for Easy Street Matt Ladner said his favorite part of the night was getting the chance to entertain and interact with so many people.
ܬA friend of ours hooked us up with this show,ܬ Ladner said. ܬShe wanted to give us the opportunity to come to Starkville and get exposed to the people.ܬ
The other members of Easy Street, rhythm guitar player Marcus Ladner, bassist Philman Ladner, lead guitarist Ashton Burge and drummer Trevin Burge are all from the Bay St. Louis area. Special guest saxophone player Jason Tarfait accompanied the band at Bulldog Bash.
Ladner said Easy Streetܬs music can be described as fun, high-energy, and entertaining. The band incorporates many types of musical genres in its performances including Motown, funk, light alternative and classic ܬ80s rock.
ܬWe will possibly be playing at Rickܬs in the near future and are planning for a legitimate album to be released in spring 2007,ܬ Ladner said.
Bulldog Bash hospitality chairman Kirbi Dendy said Friday night went relatively well, and the crowds were energetic and fun. Dendyܬs committee provided anything the artists needed before, during and after their performances.
ܬWhen working a concert, the best feeling in the world is to look over the crowd at everyone with their hands in the air, dancing and singing,ܬ Dendy said.
The only setbacks she experienced were having to shut down a party above Bin612, and the amount of trash littering the streets when Bulldog Bash was over, she said.
ܬStarkville was trashed Friday night. We filled up over 200 bags of trash and it took us four hours to clean up,ܬ Dendy said.
Bulldog Deli assistant manager Jennifer Barnette said business definitely increased during Bulldog Bash.
ܬWe had extra management to help us with the lines. Of course there was some chaos, but everything ran smoothly for the most part,ܬ Barnette said.
She also said the cooks made extra food earlier in the day to prepare for the busy night.
Shaherazadܬs co-owner Lisa Dakhlalla said the restaurant experienced more business than normal, but not as much as the places that serve alcohol.
ܬWe set up a shawerma machine outside to sell meat and pita sandwiches, so that probably brought in the most business for us,ܬ Dakhlalla said.
Dakhlalla said the only negative part of Bulldog Bash was the trash in the streets and the amount of time it took to clean up.