CREDIT: HEDLEY (UNIVERSAL MUSIC CANADA) BARENADKED LADIES (VANGUARD RECORDS) BRAVE SHORES (UNIVERSAL MUSIC CANADA)
Fanshawe is preparing to celebrate their 50th anniversary with a kick off concert featuring Hedley, Barenaked Ladies and Brave Shores.

 Get ready Fanshawe, Canadian bands Hedley, Barenaked Ladies and special guest Brave Shores are making their way to the Budweiser Gardens stage.

These popular Canadian artists will be performing to celebrate Fanshawe’s 50th anniversary on September 9 at 7:30 p.m.

The planning for the Fanshawe LIVE concert, titled Fanshawe 50: Live in Concert, started a year ago that included a committee made up of Fanshawe and the Fanshawe Student Union (FSU) staff who decided upon the activities that would take place for the celebra­tion.

The bands were chosen based on the diverse age group and type of audience that will be attending the concert.

“We wanted to do something really big that would incorporate both our frosh week activities as well as something that would be designed for students, staff, alum­ni and retirees, so something that’s suitable for the entire Fanshawe community,” Elaine Gamble, Fan­shawe’s senior manager of Corpo­rate Communications said.

Instead of having a separate fro­sh concert put together by the FSU like recent years, the concert will be a private event for all Fanshawe attendees.

“This has been chosen as the frosh concert because it’s the 50th year. We wanted to make some­thing big so instead of FSU doing a concert and Fanshawe doing a concert, we’ve both contributed funds to make one big one hap­pen,” Morganna Sampson, FSU president said.

First year students have the opportunity to access one of the 2, 000 available floor tickets set aside, which will be included in the purchase of their $40 frosh kit.

The frosh kit will include the floor ticket to Fanshawe LIVE, an orientation t-shirt, an Out Back Shack gift card, FSU swag and much more and can be upgraded to the residence kit which includes all of the frosh kit contents, plus a branded residence hoodie and a branded residence t-shirt.

The purchase of either kit will allow the student to purchase one of the limited guest floor tickets which will be available on August 28 in person in J-gym 3.

Tickets for other Fanshawe students, alumni and staff can be purchased through the Budweis­er Gardens website with special codes available from the College.

Sampson hopes that new and re­turning students at the concert will feel the school spirit and feel wel­comed (back) into the Fanshawe community.

“I hope they get school spir­it along with just making friends and having a good time. I think that putting on such a huge con­cert they’ll get a feel for what Fan­shawe’s all about, what we’re like and just feel the passion that the school has,” Sampson said.

Not only will the concert be taking place that evening but also other Fanshawe-related activities before and during the concert. Ac­tivities include an outdoor festival including Fanshawe’s Music In­dustry Arts (MIA) bands that will play outside of Budweiser gar­dens, Fanshawe’s radio station will broadcast live from outside Bud­weiser Gardens and a Fanshawe Falcon car that students have re­stored from a 1967 car will be on display.

People will also have the op­portunity to buy some Fanshawe gear as they walk into Budweiser Gardens, take a look at special dis­plays, and enjoy some multimedia music and video that will be play­ing before the concert starts and between acts.

Gamble encourages people to stop downtown ahead of time to have dinner at one of the down­town restaurants.

“We’re hoping some of the restaurants are going to carry the Fanshawe Legacy Lager which we’ve just recently launched with Railway City [Brewing Compa­ny],” Gamble said.

Sampson said that attending col­lege events such as the Fanshawe LIVE concert is how students make the best of their college ex­perience.

“This is the biggest event we’ve ever had at Fanshawe so we’re looking forward to absolutely packing Budweiser Gardens and it’s just a really exciting time for us. There’s lots and lots of things going on. We’re one of Ontario’s biggest colleges and we think this is just going to be a big way to celebrate our 50th anniversary,” Gamble said.