Lifestyle

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LIFESTYLE 12/7/24 9:26am

Memory of loved ones pave Mountains-to-Sea Trail

By Monika Jurevicius

Donna and Haley Burch are natives of North Carolina and volunteered together at the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, a wilderness path that spans the width of the state from Clingmans Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains to Jockey’s Ridge State Park on the Outer Banks. Volunteers, also known as Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, work field days throughout the year to maintain the trails. After dying in 2021, Haley left a legacy through his leadership, his experience in carpentry and the energy he brought to the group.

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LIFESTYLE 12/4/24 10:34am

Elon Watches: ‘Arcane’ season 2

By Lucy Samuels

*This review contains spoilers for “Arcane” season 1 and season 2. The first time someone told me to watch Netflix’s Emmy winning “Arcane,” I brushed it off since I wasn’t familiar with Riot Games’ “League of Legends” — the show’s source material. But now, I could not be more absorbed by a piece of media. Animated by French animation studio Fortiche, “Arcane” is truly a powerhouse of story and animation, fueled by passionate artists and equally passionate fans.

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LIFESTYLE 12/2/24 9:51am

TikToker, Elon student known as judyhoppsl0vr69 releases debut single

By Sarah T. Moore

With over 2.1 million followers on TikTok, Elon University senior Nik Salah — also known as judyhoppsl0vr69 — expanded his digital presence by releasing original music. Salah’s TikTok page primarily features satirical comedy videos, often centered around the Zootopia character Judy Hopps. However, Salah began posting snippets of his songwriting over the summer. He released his debut single, “Midwest’s Best,” on Nov. 1, and it garnered over 165,000 streams in its first four days on Spotify. As of Nov. 29, the song has 366,290 streams and has been added to over 33,000 playlists on Spotify.

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LIFESTYLE 11/27/24 11:38am

Man with a silver thumb: 91-year-old Elon alum crafts silverware creations

By Lilly Molina

With shaky hands, Bob Rice '61 opened one of the various tall, plastic storage cabinets in his garage. Some are labeled vintage spoons, forks and coins, but that’s not what he is looking for. He eventually finds a box labeled knives, which are perfect for making rings. Instead of relaxing in his retirement, Rice sells hand-made jewelry at The Main Line, an artisan goods shop located in downtown Graham. Over the past five years, Rice estimates that he’s made around $50,000 in profit from this side hustle.

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LIFESTYLE 11/17/24 1:24pm

Burlington Preservation Salvage Shop saves historic homes from landfills

By Lilly Molina

Inside a World War II quonset hut, a building shaped like a silver half-moon, lies two cased doors resting along tall wooden crates. This door sticks out in the Salvage Shop like a sore thumb; it’s the tallest object in the entire shop, but it’s also quite beautiful. The top of the door has a half-circle structure with details on it to look like rays of sun. Besides the fade and chipping of paint, this door remains completely intact and in decent condition. The only thing it was missing is its story.

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LIFESTYLE 11/15/24 8:02am

Elon’s fall dance concert explores concept of unboxing

By Megan Walsh

Emotions, relationships, pushing past spatial limits, AI, social media and technology — all topics to be “unboxed” in Elon University’s fall dance concert. Elon’s fall dance concert, “UnBoxed,” will feature pieces from professors, student choreographers and guests, all sharing their perspectives on the theme of unboxing something and thinking outside the box. Shows will run at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 15 and 16, and matinee performances will be held at 2 p.m. Nov. 16 and 17 in Roberts Studio Theatre in Scott Studios. Tickets are free with an Elon ID or $15.

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LIFESTYLE 11/14/24 10:40am

Native American Student Association promotes change, community

By Julia Donaghy

A primary goal for the Native American Student Association has been to develop more of a long-term relationship between Elon and the Occaneechi Band. However, the first step of this is to educate and unite Indigenous and non-Indigenous students across Elon, which begins with the organization’s meetings. NASA held “Crafting in the Commons” on Nov. 4 in Global Commons, which was one of three planned events to celebrate the month of November as Native American Heritage Month. The organization will host “Soil to Soul: Indigenous Planting” on Nov. 15 from noon to 2 p.m. in Moseley 221.

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LIFESTYLE 11/11/24 4:40pm

Elon University tunes into first-ever SUBFest with student performances

By Gaby Maldonado and Lauren McCowan

Elon University's Student Union Board hosted its first SUBFest on Nov. 8, an outdoor music festival featuring live performances, student-run businesses and giveaways. In partnership with Limitless, Limelight Records and WSOE, the event aimed to provide students with an afternoon of entertainment in Young Commons. Junior Caroline Reich, the graphic design chair of the Student Union Board, said the idea of SUBFest was inspired by her experience at a college music festival that she attended before coming to Elon.

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LIFESTYLE 10/31/24 9:13am

Original Hollywood Horror Show puts on film-quality sets

By Abigail Hobbs

Dean and Starr Jones were 7 years old when they had their first taste of special effects makeup when their parents pulled them out of school to watch the production of the 1968 movie “Killers Three.” After growing up watching horror movies and doing haunted houses for church and boy scouts, the duo went on to Hollywood and garnered a combined total of two Emmys, six Emmy nominations and 162 makeup credits for both movies and shows — most notably “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” and several of the Star Trek movies.

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LIFESTYLE 10/29/24 5:33pm

Elon’s production of ‘Legally Blonde’ brings audience members to their feet

By Ruby Burckle

As the cast of Elon University’s fall mainstage musical, “Legally Blonde,” came on stage to take their final bows, the audience rose out of their seats to give the actors a standing ovation. Morgan Brady was at the show to support her brother sophomore Kyle Brady, who plays Your Majesty and is the understudy for Kyle, the UPS man. Morgan said she was a fan of the movie and musical prior to attending this show and Elon’s production met all of her expectations.

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LIFESTYLE 10/27/24 3:27pm

Elon University joins community in hosting Pumpkin Festival

By Lauren McCowan

Tables with pumpkins, hot chocolate, and crafts filled the Elon community garden for the university’s annual Pumpkin Festival on Oct. 25. From the moment it began attendees from the university and local town were greeted with music and activities. Elon’s Sustainability office and other programs took part by setting tables up for people to learn about the importance of creating and maintaining a sustainable environment. Eco-Rep and junior Virginia Campbell represented the Office of Sustainability with a table for guests to make lanterns out of recyclable items.

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LIFESTYLE 10/25/24 1:18pm

Elon Watches: Young Frankenstein

By Rylan Ammerman

A ghoulish castle drenches a hill in shadow. Lightning illuminates the cobweb ridden staircases of its interior. Outside, horses whine as werewolves howl throughout the thick forest of the town below. If this sounds like the introduction to a horror film, that couldn’t be more incorrect. The backbone of the entire project is Gene Wilder. Best known for his role as the titular character in “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” Wilder is utterly valiant, delivering the strongest performance of his career here.

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LIFESTYLE 10/24/24 5:17pm

Computer canines take stage in ‘Legally Blonde’ at Elon University

By Katharyn MacDonald

Two robotic dogs are making their debut appearance during Elon University’s fall mainstage musical “Legally Blonde." As the production prepares for its opening Oct. 25, Elon engineering students are putting final touches on the robotic dogs, bringing the show’s beloved canine characters — Bruiser and Rufus — to life. Over the past five months, engineering students have done extensive research and work to build the dogs. Senior Zoë Scherpbier built shells of artificial fur and dog features to make the robots’ outsides as realistic as possible without falling into the uncanny valley.

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LIFESTYLE 10/23/24 12:07pm

Elon’s Chinese Club creates community

By Megan Walsh

The symbol of rising from the ashes applies to more at Elon University than the fire in 1923 and rebuilding that followed. Elon’s Chinese Club was born out of several failed attempts and a global pandemic. Now, the club hosts a variety of Chinese cultural events — positively impacting students and the Elon community. Featured events include the Mid-Autumn Festival, Lunar New Year, Dumplings Across Cultures event with the Italian club and Latinx-Hispanic Union, karaoke and game night events, calligraphy nights and study abroad information sessions about Chinese-speaking countries.

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LIFESTYLE 10/22/24 9:40am

Elon English faculty host discussion on ‘Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder’

By Julia Donaghy

In honor of the annual awareness campaign Banned Books Week, promoted by the American Library Association, English professors Dan Burns and Dinidu Karunanayake decided to co-lead a reading and discussion of Salman Rushdie’s memoir “Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder.” While not technically a banned book, “Knife” describes the aftermath of the assassination attempt on the controversial author in 2022. Burns hosted the second meeting covering the memoir on Oct. 21 in Carlton 224. The third and final meeting will be held from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Nov. 18 in Carlton 224.

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LIFESTYLE 10/21/24 10:34pm

Gala Latina empowers Latinx, Hispanic communities at Elon University

By Lauren McCowan

To end Hispanic Heritage Month, Elon University’s El Centro hosted its eighth annual gala to support and empower students, faculty and staff who identify as Latinx/Hispanic. With laughter, music and cultural food, there was a community atmosphere in LaRose Student Commons throughout the night of Oct. 18. Vice President for Inclusive Excellence Randy Williams said while these events are open to all, they are crucial for the campus’ Latinx and Hispanic communities to celebrate their heritage and feel a sense of belonging.  

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LIFESTYLE 10/21/24 6:28pm

Pop-up bookstore promotes sustainable, affordable reading in Alamance County

By Sarah T. Moore

Paper Trail Books, isn’t a typical brick and mortar bookstore. Paper Trail has no physical storefront. Instead, the duo vends at different pop-up markets and events in Mebane and the wider Alamance County area, such as Filament Coffee + Tea’s “Gilmore Girls” night. Pop-ups, co-owner Callie Oldham said, help Paper Trail engage more directly with the Mebane community.  Other co-owner Stephanie Batten said she wanted the business to contribute toward sustainable reading habits. Paper Trail Books’ next event is during downtown Mebane’s holiday reveal event Nov. 2.

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LIFESTYLE 10/7/24 8:38pm

Elon University displays works by Israeli artists 1 year after Hamas attacks

By Julia Donaghy

In remembrance of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel, Elon’s Jewish Life team organized an art exhibit to provide a meaningful way to mark the war’s one-year anniversary, according to Director of Jewish Life Betsy Polk. Hebrew professor and Jewish educator Boaz Avraham-Katz, along with his colleagues, wanted to offer Elon students a different perspective into life in Israel during a time of war through the showcased art. The capsule exhibition, “October Seventh,” included paintings, drawings, photographs and music. Artwork will be displayed until 8 p.m. Oct. 8 in the McBride Gathering Space in the Numen Lumen Pavilion.

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LIFESTYLE 10/6/24 5:23pm

A cappella makes note-able mark on Elon culture

By Katharyn MacDonald

The sounds of singing and beatboxing echoed through Spence Pavilion. As students of different grade levels and majors filed into the room, they smiled and jumped right into the song that had begun. Rehearsal didn’t start for another 10 minutes, but everyone already wanted to start singing. At ROCKapella, a concert featuring all Elon a cappella groups over Family Weekend, the groups could be seen jumping and clapping for each other’s performances, their signature colors blending together into a crowd of musicians cheering on other musicians.

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LIFESTYLE 10/5/24 5:41pm

Graham Cinema to show Halloween classics throughout October

By Emma Citro

“The Shining” is one of five Halloween classics Graham Cinemas will show throughout October. About a 15-minute drive from campus, Graham Cinemas will be hosting a Halloween Classics lineup from Oct. 4 to Oct. 31. Tickets are $4 each and can be purchased upon arrival at the theater. Freshman and production major Ethan Brothers said “The Shining” is his favorite horror movie. The lineup of movies was carefully curated by manager Scott Matthews, who said the cinema has been hosting its Halloween Classics series every year since 2016.

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