Spring Break
The Daily OrangeBarack the Block blends local music with voting registration
By Darren Benda
Posted: 10/6/08, 12:38 AM EST Section: News
Syracuse University Students for Barack Obama had hoped for higher attendance at its first ever outdoor concert, but members of the group still deemed it a success.
"Basically we just tried to make it easy for college students to get involved in the campaign by giving them opportunities to both register and volunteer for a number of activities supporting the Barack campaign," said Mike Short, director of SU Students for Barack Obama.
Approximately 400 people attended the organization's Barack the Block event Friday at the Thornden Park Amphitheater. With only one month until Election Day, the event intended to reach out to SU students and the Syracuse community to promote voter registration and Sen. Obama, said Short, a senior political science and public relations major.
Members of the Central New York community joined SU students for an afternoon of music, food, voter registration and absentee ballot information.
Though rainy weather hampered attendance early Friday morning, by the start of the outdoor concert around 3 p.m., the sun was out and people were dancing, taking photographs, laying out, hula-hooping, kicking soccer balls and playing hacky sack, all while listening to the lineup of Syracuse music.
Local bands Native Informant, The Smash Brothers, Sophistafunk and White After Labor Day played to an audience of SU students, faculty, families, children, dog walkers and members of the Syracuse community.
Several musicians made their support for Obama known.
White After Labor Day's keyboard player mentioned between sets that the band was happy to be at Barack the Block promoting "a good cause."
Sophistafunk's lead singer said between songs that "if you're 'Baracking' the Block, we'll be funkin' the amphitheatre," which riled up the crowd.
Concert attendee Diane Cralin said she was proud to see such a diverse group of music listeners and supporters of Obama.
"I came to the event because I joined one of the Obama support groups in Syracuse," said Cralin, a resident of the eastside of Syracuse. "The event shows support that we believe in what Obama stands for. If the event can get students to vote at all, then it served a purpose."
"Basically we just tried to make it easy for college students to get involved in the campaign by giving them opportunities to both register and volunteer for a number of activities supporting the Barack campaign," said Mike Short, director of SU Students for Barack Obama.
Approximately 400 people attended the organization's Barack the Block event Friday at the Thornden Park Amphitheater. With only one month until Election Day, the event intended to reach out to SU students and the Syracuse community to promote voter registration and Sen. Obama, said Short, a senior political science and public relations major.
Members of the Central New York community joined SU students for an afternoon of music, food, voter registration and absentee ballot information.
Though rainy weather hampered attendance early Friday morning, by the start of the outdoor concert around 3 p.m., the sun was out and people were dancing, taking photographs, laying out, hula-hooping, kicking soccer balls and playing hacky sack, all while listening to the lineup of Syracuse music.
Local bands Native Informant, The Smash Brothers, Sophistafunk and White After Labor Day played to an audience of SU students, faculty, families, children, dog walkers and members of the Syracuse community.
Several musicians made their support for Obama known.
White After Labor Day's keyboard player mentioned between sets that the band was happy to be at Barack the Block promoting "a good cause."
Sophistafunk's lead singer said between songs that "if you're 'Baracking' the Block, we'll be funkin' the amphitheatre," which riled up the crowd.
Concert attendee Diane Cralin said she was proud to see such a diverse group of music listeners and supporters of Obama.
"I came to the event because I joined one of the Obama support groups in Syracuse," said Cralin, a resident of the eastside of Syracuse. "The event shows support that we believe in what Obama stands for. If the event can get students to vote at all, then it served a purpose."
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