Celebrate Husson! is Cruising Steady with Golf, Food, a Fun Run, and the Music of Aretha and Smokey
Published on: May 31, 2018
BANGOR, MAINE - Members of the community, including Husson University alumni, are invited to participate in Celebrate Husson! on Friday, June 22 and Saturday, June 23, 2018. With events for children and adults, this two-day event is jam packed with fun for all ages.
Celebrate Husson! kicks off on Friday, June 22 with the university’s eighth annual golf tournament at the Bangor Municipal Golf Course. Alumni and friends of Husson are welcome to participate. Coordinated by Husson Eagle Athletics, the shotgun start is at 11:30 a.m. The event is sponsored by Tricia Quirk Real Estate, a realtor affiliated with ERA™ Real Estate/Dawson Bradford Realtors.
On the following day, events kick off with a “Run for the Gold.” This fun run is divided into four major categories. For adults, there’s a 5K run. Registration is $25. There’s also a student version of the 5K run that only costs $10.
For those who prefer a slightly slower pace, the “Run for the Gold” offers a one mile, fun run/walk for everyone 10 and older for just $10. Children nine-years-old and under can participate in the one mile fun run/walk for free.
Participants in the run can wear whatever they like. Creativity is welcome. Runners should keep in mind that this is a color run, so they should avoid wearing anything that they don’t want to get full of colored powder.
“We recommend that runners wear some sort of white shirt. White garments help other participants see and enjoy the fun,” said Amanda Cummings, director of alumni relations at Husson University and race organizer. “And don’t worry about getting color all over your car when the run is done. All registered participants receive a free event T-shirt they can change into at the end of the event.”
Registration for all four “Run for the Gold” events begins at 9:00 a.m. at the Gardner Basketball Court on Husson University’s Bangor campus. Registered participants should meet on College Circle at 9:30 a.m. to begin the “Run for the Gold.”
As Celebrate Husson! moves into the late afternoon, attendees will have even more opportunities for great food and entertainment. From 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m., there will be a lobster bake with the Atlantic Clarion Steel Band in a tent next to the Beardsley Meeting House.
Founded in Brooksville, Maine in 1974, the Atlantic Clarion Steel Band has become widely known throughout the New England area for its outstanding performances at festivals, parades, clubs, parties and concert halls.
This is a modern steel drum band, with instruments, called "pans", gleaming and tuned to an astonishing degree of clarity, playing an amazing range of music from concert classics to pop and from jazz to calypso. The group is a chamber ensemble, a jazz band and a party band all wrapped up into one. The Atlantic Clarion Steel Band has performed at Lincoln Center.
The band's founder and leader, Carl Chase, is one of a small number of people in the United States who makes and tunes pans. All the other band members are involved in teaching pan, and promoting its use in schools, colleges and community programs throughout New England.
Fresh Maine lobster will be served to event participants. There is a $25 charge to attend the lobster bake. Husson University has also instituted a kid’s price of $12 per child for all children 12 and under who won’t be eating lobster.
While the lobster bake will feature servings of everyone’s favorite crustacean, those who prefer non-lobster choices can feast on other sumptuous summer selections, including chicken and burgers. The event is sponsored, in part, by PepsiCo.
Capping off the Celebrate Husson! events at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 23 is an evening of blues, gospel, pop and soul when Cruising Steady: The Music and Friendship of Aretha Franklin and Smokey Robinson takes the stage at the Gracie Theatre.
Longtime friends, Aretha Franklin and Smokey Robinson’s lives were similarly shaped by the times they lived in and their experiences. The show explores their music, careers, relationship, and how two different kids from Detroit became international superstars. Cruising Steady is an evening of fun, nostalgia, and some of the best music ever written. The show features Broadway stars Patrice Covington (Color Purple, Motown: The Musical, Dreamgirls) and Jess Nager (Motown: The Musical, Mamma Mia, Mary Poppins.) Tickets for Cruising Steady: The Music and Friendship of Aretha Franklin and Smokey Robinson are $35 each.
Those who choose to attend both the lobster bake and Cruising Steady: The Music and Friendship of Aretha Franklin and Smokey Robinson are eligible to purchase combined tickets at a reduced price. Tickets for adults to both events are available for $50 – a 16 percent savings.
To register for all or part of Celebrate Husson! visit http://www.husson.edu/alumni/celebratehusson.
For more than 100 years, Husson University has prepared future leaders to handle the challenges of tomorrow through innovative undergraduate and graduate degrees. With a commitment to delivering affordable classroom, online and experiential learning opportunities, Husson University has come to represent superior value in higher education. Our Bangor campus and off-campus satellite education centers in Southern Maine, Wells, and Northern Maine provide advanced knowledge in business; health and education; pharmacy studies; science and humanities; as well as communication. In addition, Husson University has a robust adult learning program. For more information about educational opportunities that can lead to personal and professional success, visit Husson.edu.