The seventh annual WinterBlast, hosted by Flash Activities Board (FAB), is returning to the Kent State Ice Arena Friday to kick off the spring semester.

The event will run from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. and begin with activities for students, such as carriage rides and stuffing plushies. At 6:20 p.m., the Kent State D1 Hockey team will play against John Carroll University. After the game, the ice will be open for students to skate.

The first 500 students who arrive at the ice arena will receive a free winter-themed sweatshirt created by junior advertising major Taylor Hajtol.

At past events, the sweatshirts have been created by a design company, but this time around, FAB held a design contest that allowed students to choose which scheme they favored for the sweatshirts.

“This year, we did something brand new that we’ve never done before,” Jillian Mt. Castle, junior special education major and FAB President, said. “A sweatshirt design competition.”

Local musician Madison Cummins will be performing live music at the event, including a mix of original music and covers from genres such as classical rock, indie and alternative. She will be performing for about three hours during the night on her guitar.

“I hope that [students] can see some local musicians if they haven’t before,” she said. “I think it’s really important for, especially young students, to support local music.”

There will also be a photo booth at the event, free pizza and water, caricature artists and an ice sculpture of the WinterBlast logo for students to take photos at.

“I’m just hoping that students come and feel welcome back to campus,” Mt. Castle said. “I hope they stay and hang out and meet some new friends. That’s always the goal of our FAB events.”

Jillian Flack is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected].