Late Knights holds "War and Peace" themed event on Memory Mall

Twirling, twisting, tumbling and tie-dye marked this Friday's Late Knights event at Memory Mall.

More than 800 students attended the event to ride fairground rides, listen to local bands and receive free prizes. The first 200 students to arrive received dog tags with their picture printed on them.

In addition to free food and games, the event gives the opportunity for other organizations to advertise.

About 13 organizations and businesses like NASCAR, Domino's, Minute Rice and Pals for Autism showed up to give away free candy or other prizes.

Late Knights, associated with the Office of Student Involvement, chose "War and Peace" as the theme for March because the event planners liked the idea of having dog tags and an army styled scene.

 "We wanted a hippy feel as well and decided to combine them," said Jerry Estrada, a junior event management major and student director for Late Knights.

The event is put on once a month from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. and attracts between 800-2,000 students, Estrada said.

Planning for Late Knights begins in May at OSI's annual summer retreat. Here, they plug out their events for the year and continue to shape ideas as they go along. The group is a non-profit organization, so funding comes from the Activity and Service Fee office.

According to the Activity and Service Fee annual budget, Late Knights received $124,175 for the 2010- 2011 fiscal year. The funds are used toward the events, food and refreshments and operations.

The War and Peace event brought tie-dye t-shirts, wax hands, inflatable games of dodge ball, a challenge course, and Twister, which was a popular attraction.

The event staff at Twister subbed in different students waiting in line in order to let everyone play.

"They always put me in hard positions and I always fail," said Ellys Hellwig, a freshman elementary education major.

 Fairground rides collected long lines as well.

The "Human Tumbler," a metal wheel with four roller coaster seats inside which was spun by hand, gave Artis Coleman a bit of a headache.

"It wasn't as bad as it looked," said Coleman's friend Taisha Thelemaque, a freshman pre-medical student at USF.

Students could also ride the "Mind Winder", a cross between swings and a teacup ride. The ride had about eight different compartments that each sat two people. Operated mechanically, the compartments were lifted into the air while the riders spun themselves even more.

Late Knights, founded in 2003, creates an alternative to going out on Friday nights.

"I love the idea of keeping everyone from drinking," said Sally Ebanks, a sophomore elementary education major, "I'm not really into the party scene."