Written by Colin Secore
Photography by Maxine Leu
On Saturday, February 17th, D.R.A.W. held the second annual Jell-O Jamboree, a fundraising party, all about Jell-O and generally jiggly jives. It was an excellent experience, and just like last year many friends of the D.R.A.W. came together to enjoy it. As a member of PUGG, it’s especially close to me in that I helped make multiple props seen at the party and set up various tables and chairs and decorations in preparation. Since it’s raising funds for the D.R.A.W., the Jell-O Jamboree is very personal to the PUGGs and we’re proud to be a part of it.
The highlight of the Jamboree for me was the sculpture contest. I’m fascinated by the potential of sculpting with Jell-O. I can picture the process of considering bright colors, soft shapes, and possible translucency. The sculptures made from this wobbly medium were all incredibly fun. You could find sculptures of brains, a cheese platter, a nature scene, a hotdog, transparent houses, and a giant slug. They were front and center this time, and together they made a fantastic centerpiece for the venue. Attendees were tasked with voting for their favorite, and PUGGs were rooting for the home team. Erin Dougherty, a PUGG alumni, had sculpted the giant slug and it was my favorite by far. Apparently I was not alone in that opinion, as Erin triumphantly won the first place prize while the crowd chanted “SLUG SLUG SLUG” in her honor.
The Jell-O Jamboree was dense with games and entertainment. We had the pleasure of hosting the Belly Queens, an energetic group of belly dancers. They lit up the room with their harmonious dancing, capturing the attention of the entire party to pulsing music that seemed to follow their movements. Beyond the performance, there was a jiggly tower stacking table with wobbly pieces to stack with. Whoever could stack the tallest in any given contest would receive a trophy created a PUGG member, which were composed of objects precariously glued together. Then there was the ever-iconic prize wheel, where attendees could pay 25 dollars to spin and win a random prize of varying value. You were always guaranteed to get a prize, which was always at least a value of 25 dollars. Towards the end of the Jamboree, I spun and won tickets to a Trombone Shorty performance at UPAC, a very lucky prize!
There’s a deep sense of satisfaction I get from when D.R.A.W. fundraisers like these are so successful. With PUGG doing so much these days and working so hard, we’re extremely grateful for such an overwhelming level of support. For everyone who has been allowing us to keep giving to this community, we will keep putting on wonderful parties!
