Oklahoma State hosts Jimmy Fallon, Jason Aldean at annual Orange Peel

="http://www.osupeel.com" target="_blank">Orange Peel.

OSU students form a committee each year to plan Orange Peel, which is a concert and pep rally that raises money for various nonprofits and charitable organizations. The committee, headed this year by executive director Kristen Kenaga, has selected the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to receive proceeds from Saturday's event.

UPWARD TRAJECTORY
Since Orange Peel began, more than 200,000 people have visited Stillwater to attend. With Fallon, a former "Saturday Night Live" cast member who recently snagged Conan O'Brien's spot on NBC's "Late Night," and Aldean selling more than two million copies of his first two albums, this year's numbers are sure to maintain the upward trajectory.

Kenaga, who is an early childhood education senior at OSU, said she was surprised when the committee snagged these two big-name acts.

"You kind of get lost in the shuffle and don't look at the big picture," she said. "I'm kind of a big nerd, and it's been my dream since eighth grade to be the Orange Peel director."

She and the committee are overwhelmed, but remain optimistic and aren't at all worried about the "what if"s that have happened at previous Peels, or those that might crop up on Saturday. In the past, the event has been known to attract both floods of visitors and gallons of rain. OSU isn't taking any chances with Oklahoma's weather, and will hold the event inside the Gallagher-Iba Arena, near West Hall of Fame Avenue and North Duck Street, for the second consecutive year.

"Moving it inside gives it more of a concert feel and makes it more stable," Kenaga said.

Tickets are $42-$55. For more information, call (877) 678-7335.  

"?Paige Lawler 

 

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