All for a Good Cause
It’s a much-anticipated tradition. Every staffer can’t wait until the Spring Celebration marathon broadcast. It’s exciting, it’s fun and it’s a chance to break format and help a good cause.
The Spring Celebration broadcast reaches back to the very first year that WBFH signed on the air. At the time, the marathon went on one hour for every calendar year. The first year, 1977, had WBFH on the air for 77 hours, raising money for the March of Dimes.
Until a few years ago, the marathon broadcasts were actually marathons, that is 95, 96 and 97 hours in a row! That's almost 4 straight days of broadcasting! And Pete Bowers, with a nap here and there when permitting, would stay awake as much as possible. But after all those years, staffers chose to reduce the broadcast to a 24-hour one-time blitz for donations.
The 26th edition of Spring Celebration saw the unique presentation of local rock band REV in cooperation with the Lahser chapter of Students Against Smoking and SADD. Two local bands opened for that one, including Nate Bender’s and Kevin Baird’s band, Absent Without Leave.
And the stunts? They're legendary. Everything from swallowing live goldfish to bathing in a tub of ice water; to shaving hair and staying awake the longest -- anything to earn a pledge. There have been dances, live concerts, road rallies, sleep-overs -- almost anything that could creatively get some money into the pledge bank.
The students are supervised all night. When they’re not on the air for part of their assigned shift, they’re either manning the phones and taking pledges or wrapping pennies, nickels and dimes. But, as soon as their assigned time arrives, they’re back on the air informing listeners about the March of Dimes and educating them on how to best prevent birth defects.
And what about food? Thanks to the overwhelming generosity of parents, guardians and relatives, there’s always something on the table. No one goes hungry as they try to stay awake.
Jamming for the March of Dimes
