WGDR’s 51st Party at the Pratt
On Saturday, May 18 we’ll “Party at the Pratt!” 3-5pm for WGDR’s 50th!
The community is invited to come down to the station for a big party at the Pratt building out in our back yard of the station and inside, for tours (or our rain location). Thank you to the WGDR Birthday weekend sponsors: the CVCR Board, anonymous major donors, Onion River Campground, Washington Electric Cooperative, and Northfield Savings Bank.
What to expect at the party:
Outside in our back yard of the station, there will be live, local bluegrass music by the Grassers of Friday night’s Barndance Bluegrass show.
We’ll have a short programming to start and halfway, where CVCR board, staff, and volunteers will share some station history, goals for the station moving forward, and lots of thank yous! We will also pass the hat for donations for the station - we’re aiming to raise a total of $2,,500 from supporters, that will be dollar for dollar matched, by our weekend sponsors. The music and speakers will be amplified by a small PA system. As of now, we do not plan to have an ASL interpreter attend. If you need this accommodation, please reach out to the station (info at bottom of this page).
Throughout the party, we’ll have good food (all dietary options available, robust snacks style) and good company (listeners, programmers, volunteers, and fans of the station mingling about). This is a great way to meet fellow listeners and the many of us who do shows and volunteer to keep the station running. We’re expecting a great turn out, so come early, come late, we’ll be there!
Tours of the station (we’ve made upgrades! see real live radio being made!)
Hear live “check-ins” from the party on the air during the shows Boxful of Blues and Acoustic Harmony (between 3-5pm).
Catch the “after party” jam session and an outdoor fire from 5pm until dusk, with some of our programmers playing music together.
Tune in for the on the air “After Party” with DJs Xav and KingTone spinning a dance party for all to enjoy via their radios and online from 7-10pm.
Together with our three days of special live and local programming this birthday weekend we’ll raise community connections, funds, and “the fun level” for the station.
We’re ready to party with you, tune in and come on down!
Important Event Details, Accessibility & Other Info:
Directions: Your GPS will lie to you! :) Our address of the station will take you to the main campus of Goddard (123 Pitkin Rd). That is not where you will find us. The station is located on the far side of campus in the basement of the Pratt library building. To find us, follow the signs we will have up for directions and parking. To get to WGDR off Route 2 pass the main Goddard campus entrance on route 214, continue about half a mile down the road and turn into the second entrance to campus on your left (signs for Pratt and WGDR are on a small sign). It is your immediate next left, down a paved and bumpy road. Follow the signs for parking and walking to the station’s building. We highly encourage carpooling with your WGDR loving pals.
Parking will be by the old art building (there will be signs). Accessible parking will be up at the Pratt building. Those spaces are limited (about 8 spots total), so please save those who need it.
Rain location is inside the station (we have a large room we will use to gather and still enjoy music, food, and spaciousness).
Families and kids! We are a kid friendly station. Bring the whole family to enjoy the music, food, and see a real life radio station in action. We can even explain what CDs and records are to the next generation!
Food & Comfort: We’ll have snacks, treats, and drinks for folks to enjoy. We encourage you to bring your own water bottle (to limit waste). There is a kitchen sink that can be used to refill water. “It’s gonna be May,” so we might have a glorious day or a brisk day, please bring appropriate layers to wear. We also encourage you to bring your lawn chair. We have lots of seating, but if we get a huge turn out, we may need folks who are able to bring their own chairs!
Collective Care: As a station, we are still being covid cautious with our in-person gathering. While we hope to gather largely outside, if we do move inside due to rain, we will have masks available for folks to use. We also will have good air ventilation going, with windows open and air filters running. We ask that all party attendees make a community-minded decision and not come if they are feeling ill in any way. We are committed to providing as safe a space for all of our community to gather as possible. We are also mindful of those with chemical sensitivities. Please do not wear perfumes, colognes, or other highly scented body products. The Pratt building has a large atrium area, on the way to the bathrooms, with round tables and chairs, that will be a natural light, low sound area during the event. This is a great place to take a break, should you need it. The rest of the building will be roped off to limit access to Goddard’s library. Please be respectful of their space. Lastly, we will have balloons - outdoors and indoors.
Accessibility: Our station and the outdoor part of the party are all on the same, ground level/basement of the building. Folks in wheelchairs will have easy access to the station, bathrooms (accessible), and the back yard, by way of a firm, grassy back path behind the building from the accessible parking. If we move inside for rain, the large room where the live music will be moved to is only accessible by short staircase.
Leave your furry friends at home: Due to our expected attendance, please do not bring a pet to the event, unless they are a service animal and are trained. We want everyone as comfortable as possible.
Requesting additional accommodations: Please don’t hesitate to contact Llu Mulvaney-Stanak, station manager, to request any additional support that would make attending the event safe and comfortable for you. We can provide extra specific details, maps, layout info, and anything else to make your experience at the party truly fun and comfortable.
