Elon students will have the opportunity to party all day and night Saturday as WSOE and the Student Union Board present Rock, Stock and 2 Smokin’ Stages from 2 p.m. to 12 a.m. at the intramural fields.

Virginia Coalition is the headliner, and several other bands will perform on two stages. All proceeds from ticket sales and food concessions will benefit the Special Olympics of North Carolina.

In addition to a day of music, students can enjoy food and a beer garden.

The idea for a day-long music festival originated when WSOE music director Rob Jackson approached SUB vice president Sarah Slater about having a benefit show on campus.

Using SUB’s budget and WSOE’s sponsorship connections, the radio station’s concert committee met with SUB’s music committee to make the festival happen.

The group met most Thursday nights this semester to plan the concert. They listened to several demos to determine which bands to invite.

Using student connections to find bands that fit the $10,000 to $5,000 range, the group booked Revelation Darling, Cinema 8, Weszt, Evoka, B-Town All Stars, The Reverent Jenkins Blues Project, Drive She Said, OHE, The Flood and Virginia Coalition.

The lineup is intended to appeal to all students, as the bands bring a diverse mix of music to campus. Students can enjoy blues, rock, alternative, hip-hop, classic rock, indie and jam music.

"Each band has their own style so they don’t sound similar at all," Jackson explained.

Virginia Coalition opened for Jump, Little Children during last spring’s SUB concert.

"They always bring a good crowd. Everyone seems to like them," Slater said. "They really like playing at Elon."

Jackson added that the band is easy to work with, and their price to perform was right.

There are about 50 volunteers signed up to work at the event, but more are needed, Jackson said.

Volunteers are needed to sell tickets, work the food concession stand, change the stages, move equipment, set up and clean up after the last band performs. Interested volunteers can contact Jackson at x7211 or Slater at x7208.

Tickets will be sold at the door for $5 with Elon ID or $10 for the general public. A majority of the donation made to the Special Olympics will come from ticket sales, Slater said.

This is the first time SUB has teamed up with the radio station for an event this large for quite a few years, Slater explained.

Future co-sponsorship may be in store, as budgets limit SUB’s options for student entertainment.

To bring bigger-name bands to campus, SUB would have to ask the school for more money. The only way that will be effective is if students show up for the smaller concerts, Slater said.

"This is entertainment for the students, and we hope students come out to support us, the school and the Special Olympics," Slater said.