Smallwood gifts apartment

Free rent and disc jockey joy are sure to draw a crowd.\nBloomington residents, students and guests gathered for the second annual "Apartment Sweepstakes" goodwill event and gift give-a-way early Thursday evening at Smallwood Plaza, 455 N. College Ave. B97 radio station -- WBWB 96.7 -- provided musical morale for the party, and Smokin' Jack's Rib Shack offered free meat and soda pop.\nParty participants put their names in a bucket for a chance to win the gift give-a-way: one year's worth of free rent -- August to August -- for a two-bedroom apartment in Smallwood Plaza. Smallwood management said the winner would be allowed to live alone, to invite a roommate to live with or to rent the extra bedroom for extra spending cash. \nThe winner was junior Shaquan Walker, whose prize is valued at $12,540, including all the standard Smallwood amenities. He also won a bathrobe, chocolate from The Chocolate Emporium, gift certificates for dinner at Scotty's Brewhouse and a tanning package from Cardinal Fitness.\nWalker said he was contacted by some friends with word he had won. His work commitments prevented him from hearing the announcement live on the B97 radio station. Because his current rent costs $400 a month, Walker said he is looking forward to his senior year with "more money in my pocket."\n"At first, I was like 'quit playing,' then it felt great. I was astonished," Walker said. "A lot of my friends have already asked what I'm going to do with it -- I'm not sure right now. I believe it's a blessing. I'm thankful that God gave me this opportunity, and I'm going to use it to the best of my ability."\nSmallwood Plaza General Manager Kara Cornwell said tenants are appreciated -- current and future -- since Smallwood has been a success. The plaza is owned by the NEXTWAVE Management Group.\n"We have a lot of good tenants. We wanted to celebrate spring with food," Cornwell said. \nMore than 1,000 names were entered into the contest, tabulated on a spreadsheet and randomly numbered. Smallwood management utilized the Web site www.random.org to automatically pick a number at random. The number was then matched up with a name and the winner was announced on-the-air. \nB97 radio station provided musical entertainment from a speaker-packed company van parked on the street. \nB97 disc jockey and senior Aaron "Shane" Goldsmith also provided live broadcasts from Smallwood during the 20, 40 and 50 minute break within the hour to boost participant morale, in which party-goers were allowed to "shout out" to loved ones and friends over the radio air waves in between scripted Smallwood promotional plugs. \n"Wherever there is young people, that is where I go. It's a lot of fun," Shane said. "Unlike a high school dance where everybody stands against the wall and doesn't do anything, everybody here today was eating and getting to know each other."\nShane's B97 music show is broadcast across Southern Indiana every Thursday night from seven to 10 p.m. His show typically involves an "interactive" approach like "shout-outs" and "singing songs for tickets," he said.\nSmokin' Jack's Rib Shack, 505 W. 17th St., provided free food and drinks for Apartment Sweepstakes participants. \nBloomington resident Robert Hamilton, the Smokin' Jack's mobile kitchen smoker, said he prefers doing the "grunt work" for catered parties. Hamilton also works a Smokin' Jack's smoker in front of Kilroy's Sports Bar Thursday through Saturday. \n"People have been enjoying themselves, coming back for seconds," Hamilton said. "I personally like manning the grill. If people want to compare my skill to golf, I would say it's about a birdie or an eagle. I like to give people what they want."\nHamilton said he barbecued about 250 hot dogs and about 200 hamburgers. Participants also received free potato chips and soda pop.\nSenior Mike Black, a Smallwood resident, said he saw a group of people out front and he decided to check out the free promotions and free food.\n"There are a lot of East coast people who live here, but there is also a lot of diversity," he said. "It's a great community of great people."\n-- Contact City & State Editor David A. Nosko at dnosko@indiana.edu.