BY ASHLEY BAKER, FEATURES EDITOR
One of Bellarmine’s most popular Halloween traditions is the dance held on the Belle of Louisville. Ball on the Belle, as it’s known, brings students downtown to the historical boat. This has been one of Bellarmine’s staple events since the 1980s.
The Belle of Louisville has been around for over 100 years, making it the oldest of its kind. She was built in 1914 and has been sailing on waterways ever since. According to the Belle of Louisville’s website, the Belle is, “the most widely traveled river steamboat in the nation.” The boat is now a historical landmark and is an iconic part of the Louisville community.
Bellarmine does an excellent job of giving its student body the opportunity to experience the city where they reside. Whether students are Louisville natives or from out of state, different RSOs work hard to provide opportunities for students to become a part of the amazing city that we call home. Every year, the Bellarmine Activities Council works to put on the Ball on the Belle for the student body. The members of the BAC, who are also students, work hard to provide fun events for their peers. Erin Renfroe is one of these students.
“We have spent a long time planning and building up to this event, and we are so excited to be a part of the tradition of Ball on the Belle,” Renfroe said. “It’s great to see the hard work pay off when students have a good time.”
The Ball on the Belle is usually at the end of October every year, coinciding with Halloween. Bellarmine offers transportation on a bus for students to get to downtown and back. This allows people who may not have a vehicle on campus to participate as well. This dance allows the participants to dress up in fun costumes, straying away from dressy attire. The costumes let the participants fully express themselves, and also amplifies the spooky mood for the upcoming Halloween weekend.
This year, the dance had a Disney theme. Disney is something that almost everyone is familiar with, allowing the participants to have a variety of creative options. Some of the popular costumes were Slinky from “Toy Story,” as well as the dentist’s niece from “Finding Nemo.” Characters from Disney’s “Up” were also present.
Phil Truman, a Bellarmine student, was the DJ at Ball on the Belle. Truman chose to DJ this year because he said he truly cares about the atmosphere that the students experience while they are at the dance. DJing allows Truman to create fun for all the participants, which is fun for him as well. He played many popular songs, as well as some throwbacks from groups such as the Backstreet Boys. The mix of songs allowed listeners to experience songs that they loved and to hear songs that perhaps they hadn’t heard before.
“It was tons of fun. It was some people’s first Ball on the Belle and it was some people’s last Ball on the Belle, Truman said. “It was really rewarding for me and I hope that they had a lot of fun.”
With good music, crazy costumes and fun times on the Ohio River, this Bellarmine tradition won’t go away anytime soon.