Kenyon Collegian

Issue date: 2/4/10 Section: Features

Media Credit: Kenyon Reveille Phling 2000: Two students showcase their dance moves and fashion sense.

Ask any first year on campus this week what he or she knows about Philander's Phling and the response will probably resemble that of Rachel Max '13: "The only thing I know about Phling is that I don't know anything about Phling!" Although upperclassmen may know more about the dance, many would not dream of going, while others see it as the most anticipated communal event of the year. But the majority of Kenyon students have almost no idea about the history of the event itself, which goes back 20 years.

Think back to 1991, a year that most likely remains dim in the minds of current students. A donation from a Kenyon trustee sparked planning of a campus-wide event. The only requirements were that the event be fun - and alcohol-free.

In a Collegian article describing that very first Phling, Amy Kover '94 wrote, "Student Activities took the money and organized a group of students to plan a weekend of original and interesting activities." Two ideas were brainstormed and rejected before Phling came to be: "The committee had wanted to get De La Soul to perform. [It] had also wanted to secretly cancel Friday classes so that when students showed up they would find their professors replaced with comedians." In the end, the Philander's Phling Phestival was conceived, a two-night event beginning on Feb. 14, 1991. Publicity for the event was widespread, but mystifying. Kover wrote, "The committee purposely withheld the actual events of the weekend in order to grasp students' interest. [P]osters and flyers only gave the dates and left out all details."

Committee members emphasized that they hoped Phling would become a tradition, and they encouraged all members of the campus community to attend. Their dream was realized: a Feb. 21, 1991 article in the Collegian declared the event "an enormous success" and added, "Most students feel that this is an event that should be repeated.'"

And so it was. Phling was a rousing success, and this year marks the event's 20th anniversary. Past themes have included Las Vegas in '91, a speak-easy in '92 and Mardi Gras in '93. More recently, Kenyon students of 2008-09 danced the night away to a roaring '20s theme. The first Phling, however, was luxurious compared to today's parties: hot tubs were available on the patio of Farr Hall, a performer played keyboard in the Bookstore and the Kokes, Chasers and Owl Creeks sang at numerous venues on campus throughout the day.

Continued...

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