Marshall University students painted, socialized and sipped mocktails, or non-alcoholic mixed drinks, Wednesday evening, during a Paint and Sip event in the Don Morris Room of the Memorial Student Center.

Paint and Sip was hosted by the Campus Activities Board, CAB. CAB helps plan, organize and carry out events on campus for students. Almost all of the events are free, and Paint and Sip is one event in the semesterly series.

“We do this event (Paint and Sip) a couple of times a semester, and we have other events that we do several times throughout the semester as well,” said Brittany Davis, graduate advisor of CAB. “It is a toss-up whether this or DIY (Do It Yourself) is a favorite. DIY, we can take more students, but Paint and Sip always sells out, no matter what it is. Students love it.”

Kelly Leonard, a junior marketing major who attended the Paint and Sip event, said she wanted to go to it because she loves to paint, saw the event advertised and thought it was “super neat” and had free time in her schedule.

“I saw that a lot of my classmates were there,” Leonard said. “It was cool that I got to talk and sit at a table with them and also complete strangers. I liked that I got to paint with them and talk to new people.”

Students get to do Paint and Sip for free during these events, while at the Paint and Sip studio, the experience can range in price from $30 to $50. Students also get the full experience from a local artist when the event is on campus. Charlie Barager, owner of Paint and Sip in Pullman Square, does all of the Paint and Sip events located on campus.

Davis said the original plan for the event, suggested earlier in the semester, was to do “a mountain mandala that had something to do with West Virginia.” However, the Paint and Sip Wednesday was Old Main and/or Marshall themed, allowing students to pick whichever theme they wanted.

“It is a nice memory of Marshall,” Davis said. “Old Main is such a staple on campus, and we have never done anything with Old Main before and everybody loves a starry night. So, it is really cool to combine a cool memory that you will get to keep forever, from your college, of doing the event but also just of campus.”

Anna Marsh can be contacted at [email protected].