Students and Chico locals gathered on the shady lawn in front of Glenn Hall on Saturday for an afternoon of good food and even better music celebrating Chico State’s student run radio station, KCSC’s 65th anniversary.

The celebration was complete with tacos, tie-dying and performances from local artists.

As KCSC’s robot mascot, Kellyann, twirled around in her pink tutu while students enjoyed themselves on the lawn. The station’s General Manager Sam Pickup explained a little bit about the radio station and its rich history.

“KCSC wants to provide our listeners with fun and interesting radio shows that can enhance their musical interests,” Pickup said.

KCSC radio started in 1951 as a new outlet broadcast and was one of the first stations to play alternative music genres.

“We were voted the best college radio station in US by SPIN magazine in 1990, we still like to brag about that,” Pickup said. “Back in the day we brought musicians such as Nirvana to come and play on the Chico State campus.”

KCSC’s radio shows feature every genre of music from Punk to Korean-pop and features talk radio shows about sports, gaming and news. The radio station’s main rule is a strict no Top-40 policy.

“We pretty much have a show about everything you can think of, as long as it’s not Top 40,” Pickup said.

KCSC Promotions Director Haidy Velazquez said, “We believe in giving small artists who wouldn’t be played on a major radio station a chance to be heard.”

This policy is something that separates KCSC from other radio stations, making it so loved and appreciated by their staff and community.

“The no Top 40 policy exposes people to new genres and new artists,” said KCSC intern Orlando Corcuera. “I’m so glad I joined KCSC because I get to listen to new artists and I’ve definitely gained a new appreciation of music.”

Students join KCSC looking for their niche on campus or to be around good music. In the process, they’ve managed to create a community of music loving students and people from the surrounding community.

The one thing all the interns could agree on is that they found a home in KCSC.

“I stopped at the booth because they were playing an Outkast song I really liked. And four semesters later I’m here running the thing,” Pickup said. “KCSC gave me a family and a home. A reason to love coming to school every day.”

“KCSC is a place I can call my home, it’s definitely been the highlight of my time here at Chico State,” Velazquez said.

Pickup looked over at the people lounging on the grass and looking through crates of vinyl, it was clear that the music was bringing the people together.

“KCSC is important because it’s a different way to think about music, we bring everyone together,” Pickup said. “Look at this event. We have a bunch of people here who are just looking to listen to local artists, hang out, get some food and just be a community.”

Anna Porretta can be reached at [email protected] or @theorion_news on Twitter.