By Natalie Sit
The Porn Star Party had a wet and early ending Sat., Apr. 5 when the sprinklers were activated by an unknown person, forcing the evacuation of the Den just as the bar was reaching capacity.
Currently, the University of Calgary Snowboard Club, which organized the annual event, is looking for the individual who triggered the system. They are offering a $500 reward for information leading to the person’s arrest. According to Campus Security, the perpetrator is described as "apparently male and apparently very tall."
"I’d like students to take the party back," said UCSBC Senior Executive Warren Wittman. "This year-end fundraiser helps pay for other events that are not [profitable]."
The event also had trouble with fake tickets which created a bottleneck at the doors as all tickets had to be scrutinized for authenticity. Wittman said around 11:30 p.m., 500 to 600 people were in the Den before they had to be evacuated, closing down the popular party.
"One report indicated he held a lighter to the sprinkler head or held a burning plastic cup to the sprinkler head and activated the sprinkler and a flood of water entered the area," said Campus Security Manager Lanny Fritz.
While Wittman says the UCSBC was not harmed financially, the Den lost revenue.
"We lost as much as $6,000," said Students’ Union Vice-President Events Richard Bergen. "We don’t know the extent of damage, we don’t know the extent to the floorboards. We’re trying to find the person."
The SU could also face a fine from the fire department.
"We haven’t been given a fine but a letter before the event said [the fire department] would not tolerate anymore false alarms," said Bergen. "So there’s the potential to fine us."
Despite the early night, some patrons saw a silver lining in the troubles. Gillian Sissons, a second-year Communications Studies student, arrived early enough to enter the party but some of her friends were not allowed in because they purchased fake tickets.
"It’s definitely the most looked forward to cab and a lot [of people] were upset," said Sissons. "But on the upside, we got to go back and party with those who didn’t get in."
Also affected was a raffle for an X-Box. Proceeds from the draw, the first in the event’s history, went to charity. The winning ticket is #2691094 and the winner has until Thu., Apr. 15 to claim their prize.