OHIO Alumni Night at Hollywood Bowl brings Big Easy to La La Land
This year’s Hollywood Bowl event will feature great musicians, delicious food and an appearance from Ohio University President M. Duane Nellis. Photo courtesy of the OHIO Alumni Association
The Greater Los Angeles Chapter is preparing for its annual OHIO Alumni Night at the Hollywood Bowl, which this year brings the Big Easy to La La Land and Ohio University President M. Duane Nellis and First Lady Ruthie Nellis on their first gathering with the L.A. area Bobcats.
“[The Hollywood Bowl is] an amazing event and a great way to interact with a lot of different alumni,” Gretchen Douglass, BFA ’98, past president of the Greater Los Angeles Chapter, said of the chapter’s annual signature event. “The Hollywood Bowl is a very quintessential Los Angeles experience.”
The festivities begin at 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 8, at the Hollywood Bowl, which for nearly 100 years has been the premier destination for live music in Southern California, hosting legendary musicians in an iconic Los Angeles landmark. The theme of the evening is “New Orleans 300th Birthday Celebration” complete with a Big Easy bash concert featuring singer, actor and New Orleans native Harry Connick Jr. Kicking off the evening will be vintage soul artist Erica Falls performing with Bonerama, the powerhouse touring band known to have made a lasting impression on today’s New Orleans music culture.
President Nellis, his wife Ruthie and other OHIO administrators will be joining in on the festivities, and attendees will be treated to boxed dinners from Mendocino Farms, courtesy of the OHIO Alumni Association. A fireworks display will close out the evening, providing a perfect ending to a night under the Hollywood stars.
“Our alumni base in Los Angeles and along the West Coast is far enough away that it is hard sometimes to feel a direct connection back to OHIO,” said Ryan Boyd, assistant director of external relations for the OHIO Alumni Association. “This is a unique opportunity to not only get together with alumni and celebrate the Bobcat spirit, but to also have President Nellis, his wife and some other leadership be there. It’s just a really great engagement opportunity.”
Tickets for the event (the picnic and the show) are $20 each. Tickets for the picnic only, including an opportunity to mingle with OHIO leadership, are $10. Tickets can be picked up at the pre-show picnic on the day of the event. If attendees choose to receive their tickets via mail before the show, there is a $1 ticket mailing fee. Tickets for the picnic and show are very limited, and a waiting list will be established once they sell out. Visit the registration website to reserve a spot at this signature event!