Basketball, burgers and beguilement: among the many things to be found at the Backyard Bash Sunday from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Student Recreation Center (SRC).

“The purpose of the Bash really is to showcase everything that we offer and can do for students,” Kyle Cance, marketing coordinator for University Recreation and Wellbeing, said. “It’s our lead into demo week, during which we offer all kinds of free classes from fitness to wellbeing, free sessions and demos.”

At the Bash, students can participate in a number of activities including an ab lab class, functional fitness demonstrations, a knot-tying demonstration, gravity strength and pilates mini-classes, Cance said.

“All of our program areas are going to be doing presentations, demonstrations, giving out information about what they offer and what’s going on,” he said. “There’s going to be so much going on. Z-FUN 106.1 is coming out. They’re going to be playing tunes from noon to three. We’re going to have food galore. We’re going to have burgers, hot dogs, all the good picnic food right here in the backyard. Just come on expecting a lot of fun.”

For those more competitively inclined, the intramurals program will be sponsoring basketball, football and soccer skills competitions.

“They’re also going to be doing free agent sign-ups,” Cance said. “So if there’s anyone that, maybe they haven’t quite found a team yet or they’re looking to be picked up, there’s going to be opportunities for them to mingle with other folks and get signed up on the free agency list.”

Each activity students participate in will give them a punch on their punch card.

“Anyone who gets three punches can get a free t-shirt,” Cance said. “Then also if folks get up to six punches, they can turn it in for a drawing for one of three iPod Nanos or a Kindle." 

The Bash also gives students a chance to check out the SRC and its recent annual clean up.

“We have brought in all kinds of new weight-room equipment, we have a new weight room floor that we put in to place, we brought in new cardio, but also we’ve gone through and done repainting, some re-flooring in terms of cleaning up the floors, polishing all the basketball courts, and making sure they’re all good to go; really deep clean them silly,” Cance said. “Really, this is the pristine moment. Really come on in and get to use all the new machinery and experience everything brand new.”

The main goal of the Bash is just to have a lot of fun.                  

This event is free and open to the public.

“Get out and play,” Cance said. “That’s really what it is. Have fun. The semester will get a little tougher as it goes so get involved, get connected early and have fun with it.”