Raft Weekend highlighted by 5K and building renovation launch

By Mark Muckenfuss

A record number of runners burst onto the pathways and roads of Cal State Monterey Bay as part of the fourth annual Monte’s 5K, the centerpiece of the university’s Raft Weekend event.

According to Otter Student Union director Jeff Rensel, who oversaw the race, 700 people registered for the run. 

The course took participants on a winding path through the campus, at one point passing by the historic Black Box Cabaret. Signs along the way encouraged the runners to join in a ceremony following the race, marking the launch of that building’s renovation. 

Originally a music and entertainment venue for soldiers stationed at the former Fort Ord Army Base – on the grounds of which CSUMB was built – the Black Box Cabaret continued to be a performance space once the campus opened. It was shuttered in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It has remained closed since then, but that is due to change soon. 

“Today we are breaking ground on a renovation that will transform this building into the Robert Darwin Black Box Cabaret,” CSUMB Interim President Carlos Vargas said at the kickoff event attended by about 50 people from both the campus and the community. 

Plans are to turn the aged building into a modern performance and social space with a state-of- the-art design and new features. The project is expected to be completed by late 2028 or early 2029 and the bulk of the funding to make that happen – estimated at between $8 million and $12 million – is coming from the Robert Darwin and Robert Danzinger estates. Darwin left most of his estate to CSUMB when he died in 2023. It also funds student scholarships.

Thomas Cushman, trustee of the Darwin estate, told the crowd the Black Box Cabaret was something Darwin would have appreciated. 

A longtime resident of Carmel Valley, Darwin was a modern Renaissance man: a writer, businessman, actor, filmmaker, photographer, pilot, train enthusiast, art collector and thoroughbred horse breeder. Cushman said Darwin loved live entertainment and social gatherings. 

Calling the launch of the renovation a “momentous day,” Cushman said that although Darwin’s name will “fit so well on this venue,” it was nothing the late benefactor sought.

“He was not concerned about his name being attached to anything, but I think it’s entirely appropriate,” Cushman said. 

Vargas agreed in his remarks to the gathering. 

“It is fitting that we name this building in honor of Robert Darwin, whose passion for the arts and support of student expression laid the very foundation we build on today.”

Given the building’s history and the memories it holds for generations of students, Vargas added, “We are not just renovating a building. We are renewing a legacy … When it reopens, the Robert Darwin Black Box Cabaret will be a home for creativity, expression and belonging.” 

The launch of the renovation was just a part of the four-day Raft Weekend celebration, which included such events as the popular Werk Witch Drag Show, organized bike rides, an introductory surfing session, Sunday brunch, the MB madness festival – featuring a variety of giant inflatable activities and carnival midway games – and the 5K run. 

The first person across the finish line in that race was CSUMB student Hayden Crippen. He has run the race all four years, and after finishing fourth last year, he was determined to win this time around. 

“I’ve been thinking of this since the summer,” Crippen said, still energized from his run. “It means everything, honestly.”

The senior from San Diego, who is majoring in humanities and communication, called the event “an incredible fundraiser for a great cause, and it’s motivating our students to push themselves.”

Funds raised from the event go to student scholarships. 

Crippen’s final time was 17:45. Coming in first among the field of women was Kiaya Rowlett at 22:38. 

While the race drew plenty of serious competitors, it also provided anyone with enough ambition to complete the 3.1-mile distance a fun atmosphere in which to do so.

Grace Vena, a third-year biology major from Upland, only began running this semester. The 5K, she said, was a good motivation, and she was happy to finish. 

“I took a lot of breaks because I did a 10-mile hike yesterday,” she said, after crossing the finish line alongside her classmate Lailani Wright, a psychology major from Dana Point. 

“I thought it was really fun,” Wright said. “I love that there were people of all ages running. There were even moms with babies.”

Vena and Wright posed with another friend, Maddy Stearns for a photo in front of the 5K promotional backdrop. All three hammed it up, smiling while biting their finisher medals, which hung from their necks.  

Stearns, a third-year marine science major from South Lake Tahoe, got caught up in the fervor of the pack and left her two friends behind.

“I got very inspired by the runners ahead,” Stearns said. “I may have run off,” she conceded, but emphasized she supported her friends in true Otter fashion. 

“I was there cheering them at the end,” she said.