Lafayette area should provide more alcohol-free activities

I learned something about the Lafayette area this weekend, and a 15-year-old taught me the lesson.

My younger brother Jeremy came up to visit me this weekend. Jeremy is a sophomore in high school, and the last words out of my mom’s mouth when she dropped him off (aside from the obligatory "I love you" and oft-embarrassing hug) was something along the lines of "no drinking, no parties and no girls for Jer while he’s here. Bring him back in one piece," as if I was going to subject him to some medieval torture.

But at the same time, I didn't want him to have a boring weekend. I wanted him to be able to go home and tell his buddies he had a good time with his good ol' big brother.

I had to find a way to entertain my brother while at the same time not infuriating one of the persons helping to pay for my education.

Easy, I thought. Lafayette is a decent-sized town, and there’s bound to be plenty of responsible things I can do with my kid brother around here.

I was damn wrong.

We may as well have been surrounded by the cornfields that we’re used to back at our home in Madison County.

There is absolutely nothing fun you can do in this town that isn’t somehow related to alcohol.

I know many of you (and generally I might say the same thing) might say, "Who cares?" For most of us, a few liquor stores and a couple of mediocre (as one of my colleagues likes to refer to them) bars, and that’s all the entertainment we need.

But for those of us who are underage, we obviously can’t get into local watering holes (aside from fake IDs), and can only utilize the liquor stores if we know someone old enough to buy for us. And then there are some people I know that just don’t drink at all for one reason or another.

For not only these people, but for all students in general, the Lafayette/West Lafayette area does not offer the excitement or fun that is prevalent in most other college towns.

I’m not asking that someone build another movie theater (Hollywood hasn’t made a movie worth dropping eight bucks on in some time) or another movie rental establishment (Jer and I rented, among others, the movie "Driven." I was actually somewhat excited to see it until I saw the following four words in the opening credits: "Screenplay by Sylvester Stallone."). I’m not even asking for a theme park, though the thought of riding a roller coaster after class is pretty appealing to me. I’m just asking the entrepreneurs of Tippecanoe County to tap into a thus far ignored demand of enjoyment beyond the ordinary.

How about more live music? Most of the acts in the area are performed in the bars or on stages built by chimps (and subsequently canceled). How about local coffee shops or eateries hosting some of these musicians?

And what about a comedy club? I’ve always been a fan of Crackers in downtown Indy (yeah, they serve alcohol, but you only have to be 18 to enter). Granted, we have our very own improvisational comedy troupe on campus, and God bless ‘em, but I would probably give out my sister's phone number to dateless engineering students for a chance to see live stand-up on a weekly basis without having to drive to Chicago or Indy. Just kidding, I don't want conversations with my brother-in-law to consist of nothing but his forays into the world of thermodynamics at every family gathering.

Even some of the entertainers, groups and convocations the University hosts could be considered sub-par when compared to other universities. Indiana always seems to attract better events (They've got Kevin Smith this semester, those lucky stiffs), and Butler has Herbie Hancock performing in a Miles Davis tribute concert this Saturday. I have always been curious as to why Purdue gets the short end of the proverbial stick in this department. Don’t get me wrong, I’m pretty pumped about "Rent" and "STOMP" coming to campus this year ("STOMP," by the way is about the coolest thing ever), but seeing as we are a fairly sizable university, I think we could attract more high-profile acts like these more often.

Hell, even some restaurant with some big screen TVs, pool tables, and foosball might be nice.

I don’t know, maybe I’m just not creative enough to find something fun to do within the county. Maybe I should partake in the Indiana tradition (according to Pizza King commercials, anyway) of cow tipping that for so long I have refrained. Maybe I’ve just not been made aware of everything available for my entertainment in the area (start advertising and make me aware … the Exponent rates aren’t bad…wink, wink).

But then again, maybe I’m the only one on this campus that craves something beyond the ordinary. Maybe our student body is dull by default; I’ve seen few demonstrations or protests, and really the only time I see a general enthusiasm from the student body on anything (besides the fountains) is during football games.

But I highly doubt you're all dull.

This is supposed to be the most fun time of our lives. Too bad we're stuck in this hole where fun seems to be as illegal as marijuana.

Matt Poston is a sophomore in the School of Management. If you know of a cool place to hang out, let him know. He can be reached at opinions@purdueexponent.org.

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