Chilling weather and the aroma of calf fries provide a familiar ambiance as many returning guests enjoyed an outdoor concert benefitting a good cause.
The 29th Annual Kalf Fry, hosted by fraternities Kappa Alpha and Phi Delta Theta, started at 7 p.m. Friday at the Lonestar Event Center.
Grant Hollman, a Kappa Alpha member and junior history major from Christoval, said the goal for the event was to draw a big crowd through the music.
“We try to pick people that we haven’t had,” Hollman said. “We also want to draw a big crowd to raise a lot of money.”
Hollman said both fraternities fundraise year-round for the same philanthropy, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and work together to raise as much as possible.
Kelby Combest, a Phi Delta Theta member and freshman engineering major from Lubbock, said Kalf Fry is a tradition that is anticipated year after year.
“Several parents say they only come out for this event,” Combest said. “This is one of the biggest events and traditions in our history.”
The event kicked-off with calf-fry eating and mingling while bands No Justice and Brandon Rhyder opened for the Eli Young Band.
Calf fries and fried calf testicles were served on plate for anyone who wanted them at the entrance, as it has been the tradition for 29 years.
Ryan Patterson, a Kappa Alpha member and freshman civil engineering major from Plano, said it was his first time to try the calf fries.
“The calf fries are delicious,” Patterson said. “But I’m still most excited to see the bands play.”
Matt Sipes, a Kappa Alpha member and freshman mass communications major from Fort Worth, said the event has several benefits but also requires a lot of effort.
“There is a lot of hard work that goes into this,” Sipes said. “The payoff for our philanthropy is worth it, and it’s a good time for everyone.”
Addison Kenney, a Phi Delta Theta member and freshman mechanical engineering major from Midland, said seeing the bands and Eli Young is what he was most looking forward to at the philanthropic concert.
“We got to meet some of the Eli Young guys,” Kenney said. “They are really nice guys and they are a lot of fun.”
With temperatures dropping to the upper 40s, bands played on in outdoor amphitheater and people kept coming to see them. Toward the end of the night, Eli Young ended the musical series and masses of people sang the lyrics to one of their more famous songs “When it Rains,” and the weather was irrelevant.
Wynn Krause, a Phi Delta Theta member and freshman general business major from Austin, said the fraternities have been planning the event since the beginning of the year.
“I hope everyone has a good time and it continues to be a success,” Krause said.
Stephen Dean, a senior industrial engineering major from Fort Worth, said the small Texas country bands were his favorite part of the event.
“The small bands have a great sound and an underground feel,” Dean said. “Live music is always better, and this did not fall sort of expectations.”
Dean said though the concert was crowded and it was cold, he had a great time.
“You can’t hear music like this on a CD,” he said. “It was great.”
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