Barndance is a University of Illinois tradition. Whether because of our location directly in the middle of miles of farmland on any side or because we have a lot of spare barns that are anxious to hold dances for college students, Barndance is certainly a right of passage. Most sororities and fraternities hold these barndances every fall, as well as almost every club or group at U of I.

There are a number of barns within a 15-mile radius from campus that hold these events, which include bonfires, hayrides, and dancing in the actual barn. Hay is scattered around in order to give a little ambiance, and country music blasts through the speakers, reverberating off the tractors stationed in the corners of the barn.

Girls put their hair in two braids, and boys put on a cowboy hat, and the barn serves hot chocolate spiked with peppermint schnapps. Everyone gets into their “cowboy” character, and dance jigs as they shout out the lyrics to Taylor Swift.

Jane Vilderman, a junior in biology, insists that Barndance is her favorite event of the year. “My calendar year begins and ends at Barndance,” Vilderman insists, adding, “If we could have Barndance more than once a year, my life would be complete.”

While not everyone shares in this over-enthusiastic view of Barndance, it is clearly a U of I tradition that many people enjoy taking part in. The country music, the fun of wearing cowboy boots, and the memory of waking up the next morning finding hay in your hair cannot be rivaled by any other menial dance. Sometimes you just have to do it in a barn.