Most college students may head home once the spring semester ends, but that doesn’t mean the action ends for the Whitewater campus during the summer. 

Every year, the University Center at UW-Whitewater hosts three Summer on the Mall events. It has the energy and aspects of a festival – live bands, delicious food, games to win prizes, philanthropic causes, and fun activities for children and adults. The event is open to the community and acts as a “pace changer” for the faculty, staff, and students.

For the first event held on June 20, purple decorations and balloons enriched the outdoor setting, with UC employees demonstrating their enthusiasm for Whitewater with the theme “Purple Pride.” Music was provided by The Sentinels, a band founded in 2012 that played pop and rock covers of various 70’s and 80’s songs. Michael Inloes, a member of the band, is also a UW-Whitewater alumnus.

Catering the event was the UW-Whitewater’s Dining Services, having their menu reflect the event’s theme of “Purple Pride” with purple nachos, Bigelow BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Roseman Roasted Wraps, and various other entrees named after campus buildings. Activities included door prizes, trivia, a Warhawk Plinko board, a purple pond Duck game, Bocce Ball and Connect 4 by Warhawk Alley, as well as a children’s and adults’ art workshops hosted by Roberta’ s Art Gallery.

While fun and action-packed, the events aren’t driven solely on entertainment; they have a philanthropic cause as well. The first Summer on the Mall event donated proceeds to the Warhawk Emergency Fund and to the UW-Whitewater Campus Food Pantry, two organizations that help UW-Whitewater students in financial hardship and need. Many local businesses also helped support the event, providing prizes for the games for people to play and win. By the end, the June’s Summer on the Mall raised over $500 in donations.

The University Center holds three different events, each with a unique theme, all on the north side of the UC from 11 am to 1 pm (location will be moved to inside the UC for rainy weather). You can catch the second event on July 18 with the theme “Safari at the UC”, and the third event will be “Back to the 80’s” on August 8.