Lights, live music, and a dancing crocodile were all present at the Student Activities Board’s Garden Party on Sep. 20.    

SAB hosts the Garden Party every fall semester, with this year’s theme based on Disney’s animated movie “The Princess and the Frog.”

“I have been pushing this theme for three years,” said senior and SAB event team lead Josiah Jagoda. “Every time we have our semesterly meeting and decide all the themes, I have presented this idea, and this was the first year it got passed.”

“The Princess and the Frog” is a 2009 animated film that puts a modern take on the story, “The Frog Prince.” In the film, the main character, Tiana, is a waitress who dreams of opening her own restaurant. She comes across a prince who has been transformed into a frog and goes through adventures to change him back to human form, facing the same problem when she transforms into a frog herself after kissing him. 

Usually held in the Slayton Arboretum, the Garden Party moved indoors to the Searle Center due to rain, according to senior and SAB event team lead Abby Richardson. The venue change has led to students dubbing the event, “Carpet Party.”

“We decided to move it inside Searle around 3 p.m.,” Richardson said. “If there is any wetness at all, the band can’t set up.”

The semi-formal dance opened with swing dancing while the band prepared to perform.

“It was great to see everybody all in one place now that school has actually started,” sophomore Graham Kaufman said. “Now that we have been here for a month, it was awesome to see everyone and ask them how their year has been going.”

Junior Maggie McWhinnie has gone to Garden Party each of her three years on campus.

“I was pleasantly surprised about how SAB made it look really good with the last-minute change,” she said. “It was still a lot of fun and the food was really good.”

The menu featured a New Orleans-style crawfish boil, beans and rice, and beignets.

Detroit-based cover band Atomic Radio provided the music for the event.

Kaufman said he was impressed by the band’s performance, which included hit songs, “Dancing Queen,” “September,” and “Shut up and Dance.”

“The students brought a ton of energy to match the band, and it made for a really fun atmosphere,” Kaufman said.

Although it was Atomic Radio’s first time performing at Hillsdale, they hope to return to the college, according to Director of Student Activities Ingrid Dornbirer.

“I think people had a great time,” Richardson said. “Even moving it inside, I think the vibe of ‘Princess and the Frog’ was still there. Everyone came with their friends all dressed up, and I think it was a huge success.”