During the first weekend of November, Elizabethtown College’s Office of Student Activities (OSA) hosted its second annual Jay Fest. OSA has historically put on multiple events for the college community to enjoy, including drag shows, magicians and hypnotists. However, the OSA team decided to turn one entertainment affair into a traditional annual event. This music festival-inspired show allowed students to take a break from studying to unwind and listen to music with their friends. The music fest features multiple genres, including pop, rock, country and acapella. The guest performers feature multiple independent artists from around the country to perform covers of popular songs and even perform some of their own music. Jayfest is a two-night-long event where three other music acts performed.
The first artist on the lineup was Sydney Irving, an indie and rock-pop singer from Syracuse, New York. She had a passion for music beginning at a young age and it certainly showed during her performance. The lineup of her songs included popular Taylor Swift songs, like “22” and “You Belong with Me.” She also sang other classics like Blink-182’s “All the Small Things” and Phillip Phillips’s “Home.” The energy of the audience was highly energetic; some students even stood up and danced along with the music.
A senior occupational therapy major Alyssa Eckstein came to see Sydney Irving perform. “It was really fun watching her perform and hearing her versions of popular songs, I especially liked her Taylor Swift medley, everyone seemed really happy to hear that one,” Eckstein said.
The second singer that was featured for that night was Cooper Greer, a country rock singer-songwriter based in Nashville, Tennessee. He performed some classic country songs like “She’s Country.” He also sang some of his original songs. The energy was highly radiant throughout the time he was performing. Country fans sang and danced along to the music, highly entertained by Greer’s performance.
The Office of Student Activities is planning to have many more events in the upcoming year; be sure to check the OSA Calendars and the banners in the Baugher Student Center (BSC) for upcoming events. The artists’ music can also be streamed on listening services like Spotify and Apple Music.
