By Alex Bauman

For 26 years, the University Center at the UW-Whitewater has had a tradition of hosting “Summer on the Mall” events. Held each June, July, and August, these events are fun pace changers to the UW-W faculty, staff, students, and community members, with a delicious themed menu, art activities, games, prizes, philanthropic causes, and the sound of entertainment that filled the air.

“This was my first time experiencing Summer on the Mall,” says Rosie Sheets, an Administrative Assistant at the UC. “It was very exciting, especially since it was a fun change from our normal routine.”

Each “Summer on the Mall” has a unique theme. For June, attendees showed off their spirit for Whitewater by dressing in purple to reflect their “Purple Pride.” July’s theme went more wild with “Safari at the UC,” with jungle leaves and exotic animals decorating the UC’s north mall. And finally, August’s event chose a groovy direction for its “Back to the 80’s” theme, reflecting the event’s date of 8/8/18!

Complementing the themes are various games and activities for each event. A Warhawk Plinko Board & Purple Pond Duck game matched the purple spirit of June’s event, a Safari Splash Dunk Tank attracted most of the attention for July’s “Safari at the UC,” and an “Escape the 80’s” Escape Room made a fun and unique challenge for August’s event. Many games and activities allowed the players to win a prize, with many of the prizes being donations from local businesses.

The action-packed events each had a philanthropic cause as well. All proceeds received from the games and as donations went to various organizations, including the UW-Whitewater Campus Food Pantry, the Warhawk Emergency Fund, the Whitewater Food Pantry, the Whitewater Unified School District Family Emergency Fund, and the Whitewater Bethel House. Together, the June, July, and August “Summer on the Malls” raised over $1,500 for these organizations.

“What’s great about Summer on the Mall is that it’s a community-based event,” says Ben Matthews, a UC Human Resources Intern. “You don’t just have employees attend. People from the town all come to enjoy the festivities and have fun. There’s a real sense of community with these events.”

“Summer on the Mall” is an annual event that the UC team looks forward to planning for the 27th year in 2019. For more information or to get connected as a philanthropic organization, contact Kim Adams at adamsk@uww.edu.