Zippy, The University of Akron’s kangaroo mascot, celebrated turning 65 with students, faculty, staff and fellow mascots Webster from the Akron RubberDucks and Pozzie from Canton Charge. During the celebration, students, faculty and staff could take pictures with Zippy and her friends, eat cupcakes and donate non-perishable food items for the Campus Cupboard. The birthday celebration took place on May 1, 2018 in the Jean Hower Taber Student Union Trapezoid Lounge from noon to 1:15 p.m. According to UA’s Athletics History & Traditions web page, Zippy became the University’s mascot on May 1,1953 — three years after UA athletes changed their nickname from the Zippers to the Zips. Then, in the 1980s, she changed from a jumpsuit and paper-mâché outfit to a full kangaroo suit, a media advisory said. The Alumni Association, with the help of the Athletics Department, Meghan Meeker with social media, and the University’s Communications & Marketing Department,...

Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens is the former estate of F.A. Seiberling, co-founder of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. The estate features a historic 65-room Tudor Revival Manor House, Gothic Revival Conservatory, Gate Lodge and approximately 70 acres of beautiful landscaped grounds and gardens. Not only is Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens a historical landmark in Akron, but the estate also offers a variety of events when it opens its doors in early April. The estate is open 10 a.m. to  6 p.m. with the last admission at 4:30 p.m. The most common thing to do when visiting Stan Hywet is to go on a tour. They have a variety of tour options: The Guided Manor House Tour Experience allows visitors to see the Manor House through the eyes of a trained interpreter and learn what life was like when the Seiberling family called this estate “home.” The Nooks and Crannies tour is a guided behind-the-scenes tour of the Manor House, which includes the rooms that were once the domestic and...

On Friday, May 4, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., The University of Akron tradition of closing out another academic year with SpringFest will continue on the Coleman Common. There will be music, food trucks, different attractions, and the Ultimate SpringFest Challenge. Music will be provided by DJ Smoov. There will be many food trucks including, Swenson's, Barrio, The Proper Pig Smokehouse, Fire Truck Pizza Company, Bye Bye Birdie, and Nelly Belly. The many attractions include: inflatables, which require a Zip Card and a signed waiver in order to participate, carnival games with a raffle prize table. Prizes include Cleveland Indians tickets, Cedar Point tickets, Beats by Dre, and a Southwest Airlines gift card. There will also be free cotton candy, snow cones, and the popular petting zoo. The Ultimate SpringFest Challenge is where 12 students are selected through an application based process. Throughout the course of the challenge, the contestants will face off in a timed challenge...

While playing one of her original songs, titled “Arrows,” Brenna Lynn stopped for a moment and thought about ways she could include her passion for music into her busy schedule as a college student. “I’m in school, kind of grumbling about it at all times, doing everything I’m supposed to be doing; following directions with my nose in a book,” Lynn thought. “And all I want to do is play music.” Putting her guitar down, Lynn told herself to break the rules and do something in life that she wants to do: create music while in school. After that moment, Lynn began researching the process of self-producing music. Lynn recently performed at Akron’s Got Talent, which was hosted by ZPN, singing “Royals” by Lorde. As one of her musical inspirations, Lynn views Lorde as a powerful songwriter. Nonetheless, Lynn prefers to write original lyrics and compose her own music because she feels her emotions and personality are then better expressed. Lynn said she has been...

On Saturday, April 21,  E.J. Thomas Hall will be hosting the Akron Symphony Orchestra who will be performing award-winning composer and Oscar winner, John Williams’ score from “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” in concert at 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Warner Bros. and CineConcerts announced the global Harry Potter Film Concert Series in early 2017 and the series celebrates the wizarding world that J.K. Rowling has created. With this unique concert experience, audiences can relive the magic of “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” which will play in HD on a large screen while the Akron Symphony performs the score simultaneously. “Harry Potter is synonymous with excitement around the entire world and we hope that by performing this incredible music with the full movie, audiences will enjoy returning to this world, and to the many wonderful characters that inhabit it,” Brady Beaubien of CineConcerts and concert producer for The Harry Potter Film Concert Series said...