When WLTL reached $10,000 in on air donations for Rock-a-thon, Assistant Music Director and radio show host Tim Mikulski ’17 celebrated by joining in on a duet with fellow radio show host Brandon Herman ’16 and Student Council President Nicholas Fuentes ’16.

“When Brandon and Nick sang ‘Don’t Go Breaking My Heart’ by Elton John it really put the capstone on the fundraiser,” Mikulski said. “Singing backup vocals to the two most male characters was by far the most memorable event in this year’s Rock-a-thon.”

This duet was just one of the events that took place during the 32^nd annual Rock-a-thon at LT, radio show host Pearl Truax ’16 said. WLTL has been coordinating this fundraiser since 1982 in order to continue to fund the popular station. Through on air donations, t-shirt sales and a $75 auction to tour LT, the station was able to earn $25,473 this year.

“Rock-a-thon donations allow our station to omit any on air ads or Public Service Announcements, which makes the station centric on the students and what they want to create and hear,” Truax said. “This event provides a sense of togetherness and freedom to WLTL.”

Beginning 5 a.m. on Friday Feb. 12 and ending 9:06 pm on Monday Feb. 15, WLTL members spent 88.1, the station’s dial number, consecutive hours receiving on air pledges, which contributed significantly to the $25,473 total. These donations will be used to redo the SC studio, replace a 25-year-old antenna, and to help keep the station in tact, WLTL General Manager Chris Thomas said.

“This year we were able to raise a lot money due to the students’ efforts,” Thomas said. “They did a great job pre-fundraising by going to local businesses and asking for them to sponsor us. Therefore, our main fundraising goal was met by earning enough for a $15,000-$25,000 antenna that needs to be replaced before it dies.”

Rock-a-thon was successful because it covered all the bases, Mikulski said. It included a variety of topics; there were slots covering sports, comedy, news and music. Rock-a-thon gave people who were donating a look into the behind the scenes work done for WLTL. The weekend brought the community together with fun and unusual activities and events.

“Rock-a-thon is a long standing fundraiser with deep roots in the LT community,” Mikulski said. “This event is something you can only do with a radio station. It is a way to play to our favor in order to raise money. It is a unique fundraiser that people look forward to every year.”

Being broadcasted through LTTV, it provided people with more chances to listen in and watch what was happening during the event and feel connected, Truax said.

“LT has so many opportunities to get involved with and WLTL is just one of those possibilities,” Truax said. “Connecting to the students with the station is something I wanted to take advantage of, and Rock-a-thon is exactly that.”