With Knapp Hall’s closure in December leaving only two residence halls in Towers Residence Association occupied, this year’s TRA ExTRAvaganza will be the last.

Organizers promise it will be the largest celebration in the history of event.

“With Towers only having two halls next year, there won’t be enough funds to put it on,” said Dan Becker, TRA treasurer and sophomore in accounting. “It was tough this year.”

Storms Hall was closed following spring semester 2003 because of significant deferred maintenance costs and insufficient student interest in Towers housing, according to Daily staff reports.

Knapp Hall, which was originally slated to close at the end of the year, instead closed after the fall semester for similar reasons — leaving just Wallace and Wilson halls.

“It’s sad to see traditions go, but things will happen as they will, I suppose,” said Kyle Perkins, TRA president and sophomore in management information systems.

Perkins said since the closing of Knapp and Storms residence halls, the atmosphere at TRA has changed, becoming quieter and less social.

Becker said he too has seen a change in the TRA atmosphere since the closings.

“It’s really dull and quiet, and not the same as I remember in Knapp,” he said.

Becker said when Knapp and Storms were open, students experienced more of what college is supposed to be like.

“Knapp and Storms added a lot of atmosphere to this place,” he said.

“It was a lot more social, with always someone to talk to.”

Becker said the atmosphere of Towers more than made up for the inconvenience of its location and small room sizes.

“It was so fun living out here, you didn’t mind living so far away,” he said.

The students who often live in Towers now are upperclassmen who are more established and focus more on the school aspect than the social aspect, he said.

Despite the somber atmosphere of the closing of two Towers buildings, Perkins said ExTRAvaganza will help get Towers students energized again, and it promises to still be a big celebration.

“We’re keeping [ExTRAvaganza] memorable by keeping the old traditions,” he said.

Perkins said many students come to ExTRAvaganza out of tradition.

“With all of the Department of Residence changes, ExTRAvaganza has lost its view,” he said. “The older students who knew what ExTRAvaganza was have left the residence halls. But they’ll come back for the event.”

The last ExTRAvaganza will be held in the Towers courtyard from noon to 10 p.m. Saturday and will begin with games at noon including jousting, a boxing ring and a bungee game, Perkins said.

Bands Hog Mallet, The Rock, Parallex and Death Defies Her will also perform.

Saturday’s fireworks display will be the biggest in ExTRAvaganza history, Perkins said. The fireworks display will begin at 10 p.m.