The beginning of the school year is a stressful time for college students and their parents, as well as the professors and staff who cater to their needs while they are away from home. The Shrewsbury Street College Shuffle is a fun and relaxing way to ease into a new school year, without allowing the onslaught of assignments to drown you in waves of stress and anxiety. If you are an anxious and overwhelmed student looking to have fun on a budget, or a professor with seemingly less time each semester, this event will help you relax, unwind and have fun.

The Shrewsbury Street College Shuffle caters to the college community and allows students and their friends and families to experience the local restaurants that surround their loved ones. Faculty and staff of local colleges are given the opportunity to go out into the community where they work, interact with students and experience the amazing tastes of Shrewsbury Street without having to reference their bank accounts.
This event is a way of appreciating the diversity that is brought to Worcester through its college community and allows local restaurants and students to interact in a fun atmosphere.

The Shrewsbury Street College Shuffle is sponsored by Pagio, Inc. (publishers of Pulse) and the Shrewsbury Street Merchants’ Association, and it has something that will appeal to every taste. College performance groups will entertain shufflers on the street; vendors and sponsors will set up booths along the street; and there will be free goodies, games and raffles for all to enjoy. Students and staff from area colleges can shuffle and stroll up and down Shrewsbury Street, trying the samples that “Restaurant Row” has to offer, while enjoying the company of fellow collegiate community members.

Shrewsbury Street hosts perhaps the largest number of restaurants in one condensed locale within Worcester city limits. The chefs that work within the restaurants and diners on Shrewsbury Street are phenomenal in their field, and it’s nearly impossible to leave any restaurant on Restaurant Row and be displeased with the food.

The cost of attending The Shrewsbury Street College shuffle is $10 in advance for buttons, which can be purchased at your college’s student activities office. Buttons will also be available for purchase the day of the event for $15 dollars. All members of the college community are welcome to attend, but buttons must be worn in order to participate.

Along with being priced affordably, free transportation will be available from most college campuses to and from the event. Make sure to check with the student activities office on your campus for shuttle schedules; there will also be free on-street parking available.

The College Shuffle will be from noon-3 p.m. Sept. 16. For more information, check out the event’s Facebook page or visit thecollegeshuffle.info.

Victoriahope McAuliffe