The tables in Maucker Union donned white-and-red checkered cloths last Wednesday night at Campus Activities Board’s country-themed event.

University of Northern Iowa Catering provided western-themed vittles including chili, cornbread and root beer floats in cowboy-boot-shaped steins.
A DJ played country music while students took part in line dancing, tug of war and inflatable horse races. Some aspiring ranch hands tested their skill at riding a mechanical bull.

Students were able to test their bull-riding prowess in a contest or compete to see who could consume the most pie in another contest.

Whoever was able to hold onto the mechanical bull the longest received a gift basket full of western essentials: a cowboy hat, country music and movies. The pie-eating contest winners got a $15 gift card to the University Book & Supply.
“CAB puts on a variety of different activities, which is great because they can interest anyone in coming,” said junior criminology major Blake Mills, the winner of the first pie-eating contest.

Last year CAB threw a country night and they felt it was a huge success, so members of CAB decided to take on the challenge again this year.
“It does take a lot of work to put one of these events on,” said junior communication major Claudia Gonzalez, one of the CAB members involved in Country Night. “We’ve been here since 5 and thankfully we have a lot of volunteers to help us out.”

Most students who attended heard about Country Night through Facebook or saw a poster advertising the event. Others just stumbled upon the festivities.

“I just kind of walked into the Union and saw that all of this was going on so I decided to help myself,” said senior leisure, youth and human services major James Perry.

Upcoming spring 2013 CAB events include a Pinterest night and a spring break party, as well as movie nights. For more information, search for UNI CAB on Facebook.