It was a beautiful day for a picnic-style dinner as students, faculty and friends gathered outside of The Commons the Friday before last for a crab feast. Hosted by (seb), the festivities were all part of the annual Maryland Week.
At just 10 to 20 dollars per ticket, the feast sold out days in advance. Guests enjoyed not only crabs, but also an assortment of sides such as barbecue, pasta, beans, Maryland crab soup and more. The all-you-can-eat dinner was complemented by upbeat music, friendly faces and perfect weather. “It’s a Maryland thing so it kind of seemed like one of those events you just have to go to,” said Jewel Oliver, a freshman biochemistry major. “It’s like perfect out too, so this is a pretty awesome Friday night.”
Charra Wudtee, a junior interdisciplinary studies major, headed the event. “One of the cool things is we had a student do this over the summer and it was really successful, so I’m really just following her model today.” The afternoon was filled with festive Maryland decor in the classic red, white, black and yellow and lots of Old Bay and vinegar to go around.
Wudtee was pleasantly overwhelmed by the event’s turnout. “It’s even bigger than expected, which is awesome because we pre-ticket and budget for about 100 people. It’s always crazy when we actually sell out and still have people coming up saying they wish they would’ve gotten tickets. It really lets us know we’ll have a greater turn out in the future.”
With such a successful afternoon, Wudtee and the rest of the (seb) are already looking forward to next year’s Maryland Week, which takes place every fall. “With such a great turnout this year, it helps us to expect more in the future and plan accordingly.”
Events like this give people the opportunity to proudly celebrate Maryland’s culture. The entire UMBC community can look forward to more (seb)-hosted events and especially next year’s Maryland Week!
