By AMY ANDERSON
An estimated 3,500 students filled the Wilkinson Center Friday night at the BYUSA club sponsored multi-event Weekend Rage.
'(At one point) 'we hit our limit of 3,000 people and had to stop selling tickets until we could open up the east ballroom to allow for more people,' said Sarah Rackam, executive director of Weekend Rage.
A steady flow of students came between 7 p.m. and midnight to participate in events ranging from a top 40 dance to the game show, 'Hook Me Up'.
'I thought we had a great variety of activities that people liked,' said Dave Pond, BYUSA's assistant vice president of university relations. 'When something wasn't up, you could still find other things to do. There was such a variety of activities that you could never be bored.'
Jaslyn Togo, a sophomore from Albuquerque, N.M., majoring in travel and tourism, was crowned Miss BYU at Weekend Rage's opening event, a pageant that was more creative than serious.
A magic show in the Garden Court offered everything from a mind-reading raccoon to the passing of an electric saw through an unharmed volunteer.
Divine Comedy entertained students with spoofs on familiar situations. Skits included 'The Relief Society Underground', 'CK Chastity' and situations with plasma donation and rap stars on talk shows.
Slim Pickins, a band from Las Vegas, kicked off the night's dancing in the main ballroom. '(What makes Slim Pickins unique is that) we've got a lot of punk in our music, so we're a combination of punk and ska,' said lead singer Dan Wykoff.
Complete with white shirts and ties, a great horn section and lots of enthusiasm, the year old band was well received.
'I felt more pumped up than you can believe,' Wyoff said. 'We loved performing.'
Free hot dogs, popcorn and pizza were distributed on the mezzanine throughout the evening to hungry students. The pizza was especially in demand and quickly ran out.
General consensus among Weekend Rage coordinators was that the event met overall expectations. 'I think it was a success and ran pretty smoothly,' said Ben Hegvik, Weekend Rage's program director.
In the end, Hegvik was even able to taste the fruits of his labors. 'I had fun and was able to enjoy what I had done, which usually doesn't happen in my position,' Hegvik said. 'It was really a privilege to use $4,000 of the school's dollars to throw a big party.'
Besides the work of the program directors, club involvement was a driving force behind the activities. Approximately 130 volunteers also helped to make Weekend Rage happen.
BYUSA sponsorship allows clubs access to university facilities, resources and services, and makes events like Weekend Rage possible.
Proceeds from the admission charge after expenses will go towards the funds of participating clubs.
Some of the clubs involved in weekend rage were the Asian-American Student Association, Eco Response, the Collectable Card Game Club, Intercollegiate Knights, the Hockey Club, the Magic Club and the Vietnamese Club.