Raft Day Recap: Almost Rained Out
One of SLU’s most iconic traditions, Raft Day, returned last Saturday. This event on the first Saturday of the fall semester involves students journeying to the Grasse River right across the road from our home. They venture for a day of fun, friends and excitement for the new semester. Many students look forward to the event, and it is considered a highlight of the school year. Despite a forecast of potential thunderstorms, students pushed through. Except for a handful of rain showers, the weather held out for most of the day.
The weather wasn’t the only part of nature that affected Raft Day. One thing was certainly true: the mosquitos were out. Many students faced the wrath of these wretched creatures over the weekend. Being in a wooded area only made matters worse.
“The mosquitoes bit me like crazy,” Opor Promkaewtor ’27 explained. With hundreds of students in the area, it’s safe to say the mosquitoes were feasting.
Speaking of feasting, Dana Dining Hall dinner is another facet of the Raft Day tradition. The building was packed with students, eager to eat after a long day of joviality. Other campus services helped bring the overall enjoyment of the day to students as well. SLU EMS were the real heroes of the day, making sure students were safe and taken care of. To top the night off, indie rock band, The Thing, gave an exhilarating performance, the very first of the semester, at the Java Barn that same night. Many students showed up to enjoy the good music and continue the impeccable vibes of the day.
Even with all these exciting festivities, I can’t help but notice one problem. Despite its name, there aren’t many rafts on Raft Day. It seems like this would be a day to bring out the most creative flotation devices you can find. Making and designing unique rafts would also be a fun activity for students to do that would possibly bring more hype to the event. Maybe even make it a competition for who has the best raft? A sophomore student, Victoria Ledoux ’27, proposes that there should be more rafts in the future. She asks what we are all thinking: “Where are the rafts?”