In the late hours of Sunday evening while the city of Muncie was ready to rest, one group was ready to begin their block party in honor of its dedicated fans.
Members from the network Adult Swim took over downtown Muncie to give back to their fans by giving them free merchandise, music and an evening full of fun.
Ball State was one of 10 universities that Adult Swim chose to throw a block party. Tour manager Jeff Wendt said they chose Ball State because they were focusing on the Northeast section of the country, and Ball State has a great campus.
Some Ball State students worked to promote the block party. Brittany Collins, junior advertising major and assistant fundraiser director of American Advertising Federation handed out flyers all week to promote this event.
"I lost my voice trying to let people know about it," she said. "I didn't know at all what to expect, you don't really know because it's Adult Swim."
Students, faculty and Muncie residents 18 and older crowded the area around the southwest corner of Adams and High streets from 7 to 11 p.m. while spending their evening playing games and winning prizes for free.
Tents providing games and free merchandise outlined the streets with a giant stage closing in the area. Some of Adult Swim inspired games featured included "Black Hole Fun," "Toilet Bowel" and "Oh Yell No." Various shows from the popular network including "Aquateen" and "Children's Hospital" were also sponsored with their own tents.
Wendt said he was impressed with the turn out. Despite being held on a Sunday night, Wendt was happy with the large crowd.
"The attendance is pretty amazing," he said. "My goal was to beat 1,800 [attendees] and that was at Virginia. I want to beat it really bad."
Joe Hadden, junior animation major, was a winner of a Meat Wad pillowcase. The fan of the network since his freshman year of high school heard about the block party visiting the campus and decided to go.
"That would [be] a dream job for me, to work for Adult Swim," the aspiring animator said.
Carlos Padilla, a Muncie resident, helped set up the event. His raffle ticket was drawn which allowed him to enter the Simulation Machine. Once he had entered, he had one minute to accumulate as much play money as possible.
"It was all five dollar bills, and I ended up winning one hundred dollars," he said. "It makes up for setting this up."
Adrienne Starkey, a Muncie resident, is an Adult Swim fan and after given short notice about the block party, she knew she must attend.
"It is free, I found out about it a few nights ago, and I remember sitting in class, thinking about ‘Squidbillies' and laughing, so I decided to come," she said. "I have been a long time Adult Swim fan."
Adams and High streets weren't the only popular venues of the evening. Doc's Music Hall was also crowded due to Adult Swim visiting the campus.
"We're trying to improve our business on Sundays, and the Adult Swim block party definitely didn't hurt any," Bruce Fane, bartender at Doc's Music Hall, said.
The evening dedicated to Adult Swim fans ended with a performance from Los Angeles area musician, Dam-Funk.
Junior telecommunications major Shane King was enthused to hear about the Adult Swim block party. After winning multiple posters and a phone case from the "Oh Yell No" game, he said he was glad he attended the event.
"[Hadden] told me like half an hour ago there was an Adult Swim party, and that's all it took," he said. "It's way better than I thought it would be."
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