1,000 Ways to End the School Year

The annual Centennial Student Union Mall Fest couldn’t have been held on a better day. 

With the sun shining and the weather at a cool, comfortable 65 degrees, students gathered outside to join in on the festive activities before the week of finals, to unwind and relax. Plenty of Minnesota State students sat outside or waited in line for free food while enjoying the cover band Jordan Johntson and the Revelations. 

The petting zoo was a hit among the students, one of the most popular events of the day. Two Juniors, Andrea Contreras and Noemi Garzon, attended the petting zoo and made some new animal friends, such as a goat, sheep and even an alpaca. Though there were more animals to pet, like baby chicks, pigs, and a dog. Even though the two wanted to stay for the pingpong drop, they unfortunately had class. 

Another popular event was kick football. The goal is to kick footballs into the field goal 40 feet away. The more you make, the better prize you get. A freshman on campus, Colton Berberna, won two gift cards to El Mazatlan, a Mexican restaurant in Mankato. He was stoked to win a prize at kick football and even more determined to win a prize for the elusive pingpong drop.

The most anticipated activity of the day was 1,000 Ways to Win, the pingpong drop game. Three people, Stomper, Shelby Roerick and her classmate, were lifted many feet into the air, harnessed in. Students waited holding hampers, tote bags and their hats high into the sky, waiting for the balls to drop as they counted down from 10. 

The crew released 1,000 pingpong balls onto the crowd, and many students scrambled to get them. Waiting for their shot to win prizes such as gift cards for Domino’s, Amazon and the Wow Zone; MSU merchandise such as shirts and hats; and even coffee machines, an air fryer, tumbler cups and much more. 

Roerick, one of the students in charge of putting on 1,000 Ways to Win and wanted this event to bring students together, and the school year to a close. 

“It’s getting to be the start of summer, and this helps bring students together,” Roerick said. “Kind of gives the people that, ‘Oh, we made it through the school year! We can do this.’ Adding 1,000 Ways to Win gets more students to let loose before finals. I think it’ll make the community closer.” 

Photo Caption: Students enjoyed an assortment of activities at the CSU Mall Fest, including a petting zoo, football competition, and ping pong ball drop. (Alexis Darkow/The Reporter) 

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