Stress and college never seem to be far apart, especially with midterms approaching fast. But now, thanks to the Kappa Alpha Order, students have a way to relieve some of that stress, along with the entire Bowling Green community.

The first annual “Stress Fest,” will take place Sept. 28 from noon until 6 p.m. in the Sky Bank parking lot located on Clough Street.

The festival will include entertainment for all ages. Three bands will be featured, including Oval Opus as the headliner, along with Fuse and Juke Joint Saints. The younger crowd can partake in the inflatable playgrounds, splash tanks, speed pitching machines, golf chippers, performance artists and face painting.

There will also be a raffle in which several prizes, provided by local businesses, will be up for bid. Fresh grilled food will be provided by Jed’s on Main Street, who also donated wings for the wing-eating contest in which the winner receives a T-shirt and trophy.

The festival, coordinated by Bryan Joseph and Mark Fleisch of the Kappa Alpha Order, will raise money for The Muscular Dystrophy Association, a voluntary health agency aimed at conquering neuromuscular diseases that affect more than a million Americans.

“We’ve been planning this festival since last February,” Joseph said, “we normally do a golf outing each year to raise money for the MDA, but this year we wanted to get more of the community involved.”

The festival has done just that so far, receiving support from the University, 106.5 FM, Main Street BG, The Chamber of Commerce, Jed’s, Wal-Mart, Sky Bank, John Newlove Reality and many other local businesses.

Not only will the festival raise money for the MDA, but it will also serve as a bond between students and residents. “We really wanted to try and bring the campus and the community together since they normally separate themselves,” Fleisch said.

And with a lot of recent and upcoming publicity, the turnout for this charitable cause is expected to be a large one. “We’ve hit the campus pretty hard with advertisements, so we think the student turnout will be pretty good,” Fleisch said.

With a $2 entrance fee, donation jars available and a large turnout anticipated, the festival is hoping to raise a substantial amount of money for the MDA.

Helen Bowden, Program Coordinator, MDA, said the members of the Kappa Alpha Order have done well in planning the festival that will get the Bowling Green public involved in their cause.

“They are so wonderful, being college students and putting this event together on their own,” Bowden said, “they were the ones who approached me about doing this.”

Bowden also expects the event to bring in a lot of money that will stay within the community. “There are patients right there in Bowling Green that will benefit from the money raised at the festival,” she said.

With some cooperation from Mother Nature, the festival is expected to be a great success by the Kappa Alpha Order, not only raising money for the MDA, but bringing Bowling Green students and residents together and involving them with their community.