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It’s Thursday, September 5.
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Good morning, readers.
Weird question: when was the last time you went to a frat party?
Weirder question: did that party involve a $500,000 budget spent on attractions including Hooters girls, a six-plane flyover, and a firework show during a live performance of Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA?”
On Monday, the fraternity brothers of UNC-Chapel Hill were treated to all of that and more at “Flagstock,” the most bizarre frat party that the Triangle has ever seen.
When I graduated from college last year, I thought my frat party days were behind me. But when conservative operatives raised more than half-a-million dollars to throw a “rager” for the frat guys involved in an April standoff with pro-Palestinian protesters, I knew I had to report on the scene.
The verdict? Turns out a lot of money can’t buy a good time.
Sure, the party was entertaining. The music was great, and the message—love for red, white, and blue with explicitly Republican shoutouts—came across loud and clear.
But it was missing one key ingredient: students.
Earlier in the week, organizers had expected upwards of 2,500 attendees. We counted 300-500, many of them post-college adults. Even the VIP tent (reserved for the frats that actually had members at the flagpole in April), stood mostly empty despite the promise of free wings and beer, hundreds of red solo cups and ping pong balls, and a North Carolina-shaped ice luge.
It seemed that somewhere in the planning process, the organizers had lost sight of the simple ingredients that make a frat party special.
Read more in our full rundown of Flagstock.
And have a good Thursday.
—Chase
Durham
We went behind the scenes with Ron Shelton and Bull Durham, a new musical.
Durham artist Catherine Edgerton reimagines their home on North Queen Street as a community arts space.
Wake
We spoke with the sculptor Thomas Sayre about his massive steel sunflowers crafted around Duke Energy power poles at Dix Park.
ICYMI: It’s Hopscotch week. We reflect on the festival’s curatorial blend 14 years in and give you our picks for a choose-your-own adventure festival experience.
Orange
In the aftermath of Flagstock, our partners at The Assembly report, a lot of questions remain.
The UNC ice hockey club is trying to raise $25 million for a rink and arena in Chapel Hill.
North Carolina
A coalition of Black political action committees made endorsements in statewide races this week.
Today’s weather
Clear with a high of 78 degrees, a chance of rain.
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