This past Friday, Rowan After Hours (RAH)  hosted its RAH Circus in celebration of Rowan’s family weekend, which allows students’ loved ones to get a taste for Rowan campus life. The event, which featured performers, free food and games, drew a crowd to the Chamberlain Student Center’s back patio where the events took place. As mid-2000s pop music blasted through the speakers, students and their families could partake in juggling, redeem a ticket for a balloon animal or enjoy cotton candy under a large tent.

According to junior health promotion and wellness management major and RAH DIY coordinator Alison Pelose, the event was aimed to be family-friendly and fun. While the circus did not feature any crafts typical of most RAH events, face painting was available.

“My committee that I run loves anything having to do with paint,” Pelose said, sporting blue stripes and swirls on her cheeks. “It seems like it’s going well. Everyone seems comfortable in their spots. It’s a great turnout, lots of families, so I’d say it’s going well.”

Activities organized by Pelose and other RAH staff included two in which participants had to knock objects over by throwing balls – though one involved pushing a ball up an incline with enough force for it to roll backwards.

Gallery • 4 Photos

Anisa Hawoou, 9 years old, throws the ball in the air. Brianna Bond, 8 years old, practices to the left of her. -Staff Photo/Andrew Turco

Freshman mechanical engineering major Andrew Galloway agreed with Pelose’s assessment of the night being a success and worthwhile endeavor.

The selection of popcorn, cotton candy, midnight food bar corndogs, iced water and lemonade offered by RAH seemed to Galloway to be a significantly more palatable option.

Galloway elaborated on his position that RAH was an effective deterrent from late-night partying, “I knew I had to be here tonight,” he said.

However, not all students share the opinion that the circus lived up to expectations. According to freshman music industry major Bianca Torres, the RAH staff could have implemented several improvements.

“I think it’s a little underwhelming just because the games could be a little better, we could win prizes for the games and it’s kind of lame that they’re very easy,” Torres said. “It doesn’t feel like an actual carnival feel. Also, I wanted more people to perform because they were advertising it as a circus.”

Performers present included a man on stilts who was assembling the balloon animals and a juggler.

Torres added that previous RAH functions, including the hypnotist, had set a high standard that just wasn’t lived up to in this event.

“I was expecting a little more because usually their events are pretty good,” she said. 

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