SUU Outdoors hosted a “Pal-entine’s” craft night on Thursday, Feb. 13. Open to all students, it was an opportunity to celebrate Valentine’s Day by hanging out with friends and meeting new people.
The SUU Outdoors Basecamp in the Sharwan Smith Student Center was festively decorated for Valentine’s Day with pop love songs playing in the background. Almost 30 guests, who came and went during the evening, clustered around tables of painting supplies to create watercolor pieces for themselves or their loved ones.
“We decided to do this Pal-entine’s craft night to focus on building a community, helping people get to know other people, having fun and being creative,” said Erin Aldredge, one of SUU Outdoors’ LEAP leaders hosting the event. “There are some great paintings in here, and people are talking and making friends.”
Sadie Craft, an SUU student who attended the event, was glad she came. “It’s such a fun, relaxing event, and very bonding. A great way to celebrate Valentine’s Day!”
LEAP, which stands for Local Events, Activities and Programming, are SUU Outdoors’ programming for shorter, more local outdoor activities, separate from their day-long weekend adventures. LEAP events are meant to be easily accessible for students and include various daily free activities, including yoga, slacklining, wallyball, and more.
“Our whole purpose of LEAP is to provide college students and community members with activities they can do every day throughout the week,” said Aldredge, “and just helping them get to know new people and get outside.”
To stay updated on the latest SUU Outdoors events, including their craft nights and other LEAP events, follow their Instagram or visit their website.
Author and Photographer: Emily Walters
Editor: Chevy Blackburn
outdoors@suunews.net