Gold Side members cheering at sign reveal. Photo by Lucy Frost-Helms, Copy editor. By Lucy Frost-Helms, Copy editor
The 2024 College Night season is officially in full swing after a string of opening events that took place Jan. 27. Following a pep rally and Gold Side win in the annual College Night volleyball game, each side unveiled their side signs outside of Farmer Hall.
The unveiling of the 2024 signs began with a welcome message from SGA president Colton Rodano and student trustee Aubrie Chastain along with chants and cheers from both Purple and Gold Side. With both sides gathered, adorned in their respective colors, the suspenseful moments preceding the unveilings began.
Purple Side leaders Josh Giles and Abby Sledd began the unveilings with the reveal of Purple Side’s sign. The sign, which is interactive, includes a spinnable Ferris wheel with a painted face as its key feature. Also included are a palm reading booth and partially revealed tents covered with the side’s colors and cow print. Behind the Ferris wheel lies a water tower that reads “Pleasant.”
“We’ve been working very hard on the sign, especially the spinning mechanism for the Ferris wheel—that was something we really wanted and we really wanted to make happen. And, I think, it really kind of just made magic real, just the way that we were able to make it spin,” said Sledd.
Giles added, “The sign made magic real for sure. So, you know, we’re just very excited. It was a wonderful time—wonderful turnout.”
Gold Side leaders Abi Dewilde and Anna Brasfield then unveiled Gold Side’s sign. The sign is set in a columned cityscape with the moon, a starry sky and clouds hanging over the buildings depicted. A prominent clock tower is shown within the city and reads 6:00 while a columned building reminiscent of Reynolds Hall is marked with the letters “HA” on its front.
“There was a lot of collaboration and hard work put into the sign,” said Brasfield. “We all worked really hard and love it so much. It honestly is the pillar of the season. Kind of starting out, it was the first thing we worked on together.”
Dewilde added, “I am so excited! I’m just so happy that everyone gets to see it, you know, all of our hard work that we put into it. We have so many talented people that worked on this sign.”
While each side’s sign is available to see outside of Farmer Hall, you’ll have to catch the shows to find out the full meaning of Purple Side’s amusement scene and Gold Side’s cityscape.
Lucy Frost-Helms is the copy editor of The Alabamian. She’s majoring in social science and minoring in philosophy. She enjoys being a goober, eating chicken salad for breakfast, watching “National Treasure” and telling you that she will “definitely pay you back for that.” Lucy has the worst memory of all time and will forget major, important details of stories you tell her.
