Salsa Band and Dating Game to Rock Hales
by Sarah Hull

For the fourth year in a row, the Student Union will be hosting the “Hales Late Nighter” tonight from 9 p.m. until 2 a.m. in the Cat in the Cream (in Hales alongside the Annex). Late Nighter activities will include billiards, glow-in-the-dark bowling, Valentine making, karaoke, a salsa band, an Oberlin version of “the Dating Game,” as well as (always the piéce de resistance) free Feve food for as long as it lasts. Besides its appeal as a free campus activity, “it is a completely wholesome time,” said Tom Reid, assistant director of the Student Union.
The event kicks off with salsa dancing instruction at 9 p.m., followed at 9:30 p.m. by Oberlin’s own “Sabato Gigante,” a salsa band featuring senior band members Peter Meredith and Joaquin Espinoza Goodman.
“Attendees should be advised that in previous years folks have been unable to stop humming their tunes for days after the party,” said Reid, warning listeners about the effects of Sabato Gigante.
This year signifies the fourth and final year for some of Sabato Gigante’s band members, and their exit is sure to leave salsa dancers pining for more.
As well as salsa music and dancing, the Student Union has worked hard to create a number of other entertaining events that will contribute to the Late Nighter atmosphere. For example, in order to achieve a truly “glow-in-the-dark” experience the white and fluorescent light bulbs of the bowling alley were removed from their sockets and replaced by black lights, giving the alley that beloved Hot Topic glow. Bowling may prove to be the mighty ruler of all the Hales Late Nighter activities, particularly because “a lot of money” has recently been spent at the bowling alley on new neon balls as well as, and perhaps more importantly, a new stereo system. Junior Corey Mescon, a College Lanes employee, makes clear to all that may have doubted: “there will be some bumpin’ jams going on the new speakers.”
Another major event, the Oberlin version of “The Dating Game,” will begin sometime after midnight. The game, entitled “The Weakest Match” is formatted like the TV show “The Newlywed Game.” There will be three dating teams on stage at a time, comprised of two partners each. The partners can either be “just friends,” or, for the saucier Oberlin students, romantically involved. An emcee will drill contestants on their knowledge of their game partners via answer sheets filled out prior to the onstage game. While Reid said he wasn’t sure if the audience would witness embarrassing acts on stage, “The Weakest Match” has been meticulously prepared (even a stage layout has been designed) for viewing enjoyment.
As previously noted, there will be free billiards throughout the evening as well as a chance to win prizes at the “8 Ball Challenge Match” going on in the pool room. Karaoke will go on between salsa sets, accompanied by valentine-making stations in the Cat and the Cream. There will even be a drop box so that valentines can be directly delivered to OCMR boxes.
Though there has never been an exact count of the number of attendees drawn by the Hales Late Nighter, Reid estimates that they’ve seen “about 500 people at it each year.” The crowd is diverse as well as large. Reid says the event “draws from all segments of the Oberlin community.”
Senior Jen Katz has said of the Hales Late Nighter: “it’s more fun than seeing the Rams lose.” Senior Nima Shirazi agreed with Katz’s statement but noted that the Hales Late Nighter is “fun but slightly less fun then seeing the Pats win.” If Super Bowl XXXVI is any indicator of the Hales Late Nighter IV experience, then surely this campus event is not one to be missed.