It’s so big, they’re closing the street down.

This afternoon’s Spring Fever 2000 will feature carnival rides, a beer garden, student and corporate booths, two bands and a fireworks finale. Spring Fever begins at 4 p.m. and will continue through the fireworks display at 10 p.m. The party will be on Laclede Avenue, between Vandeventer and Spring.

The Student Activities Board is the major sponsor of the annual event, with contributions from Student Life and some corporate sponsors, such as Laclede Street Bar & Grill and Lohr Distributing Co.

Seniors Libby Reichert and Amanda Altman, SAB co-chairs for major outdoor events, planned the celebration.

Altman said that SAB had been wanting to make Spring Fever a block party for several years, but “it had never really come together.”

This year is also the first to feature carnival rides. The Ferris wheel, scrambler, buccaneer, salt-and-pepper shakers and giant slide will be in the Loyola parking lot. All the rides will be free.

Thirty-five booths, sponsored by student organizations as well as companies such as Vito’s pizza, Southwest Airlines and Dippin’ Dots will sell food and drinks and offer games and giveaways. The Have A Nice Day Caf? will offer barbecue, and Laclede Street Bar & Grill will sell beer and margaritas.

Students who are 21 and over can wear wristbands and can drink anywhere within the carnival grounds. This is different from previous years, when students who were drinking were relegated to a closed-off area.

Reichert said that the celebration was modeled after Washington University’s WILD party and that planning for the event had been a huge endeavor. “We’ve been working on it for about six months,” Reichert said.

Musical entertainment will also be a part of the evening. DJ Foster, a SLU student who deejays at raves, will perform his electronica-style show at 5 p.m. The 17th Floor, a hip-hop band, will play at 6:45 p.m. on the main stage. The headlining band, Robert Bradley’s Blackwater Surprise, will hit the main stage at 8:30 p.m.

Blackwater is a blues-rock band who has opened for Dave Matthews and has played the HORDE tour. SAB Music Chair Jason Sengheiser said, “We’re catching this band while they’re on the verge of making it big.”

Spring Fever 2000 will conclude with a fireworks spectacular, another new addition to the event. Assistant director of Student Life Chris Grabau said, “This is a nice end-of-the-year event for the whole campus.”