QuadWorks kicked off Labor Day weekend with WaterWorks, a summer-themed event on Cruz Plaza on Friday, Aug. 29. Students enjoyed inflatable water slides, a photo booth, water guns and free shaved ice.
Organizers anticipated 100 to 200 attendees, but nearly 200 students filled the plaza within the first hour, according to QuadWorks advisor Adam Penland. Vendors included WOW Inflatables, 478 Events and Pinky’s Shaved Ice, who partnered with QuadWorks to make the event free to students.
“We are not in the business of making money, we are in the business of making memories,” Penland said.
About 30 minutes into the event, the largest slide deflated with four students on top, but no one was injured in the accident. The slide was temporarily shut down, then reinflated and later repaired without further incident.
“Little things like that will happen at any event,” Penland said. “The most important thing is that we make sure everyone remains calm, everyone is safe, and then we just address the problem that’s in front of us.”
Despite the mishap, the crowd kept cool with water guns and shaved ice. Attendees skidded through the remaining water slides while Quadworks fixed the deflated slide. Students said the lighthearted atmosphere provided a needed break from the start of the semester.
“We go through a lot as college students,” Payton Foster ‘29 said. “Sometimes you need an event to take your mind off everything.”
WaterWorks was one of QuadWorks’ first events for the school year, but more events will be announced throughout the semester.
Nathaniel Jordan '29 intends to major in Journalism at Mercer and hopes to work as an investigative journalist. His hobbies include poetry, photography and home cooking, and you can probably find him around Macon shopping or walking through local parks with his wife and son.
