Writhing Weather: Tornado Causes Chaos

On Thursday at 12:00 A.M., sirens on Miami University’s campus began screaming and American Legion Buckeye Boys State (ALBBS) Counseling Staff began directing and filing delegates downstairs to their tornado safe zones.

Half-asleep and confused, many started wondering if the tornado warnings would eventually dissipate into the quiet night. As the intermittent chatter engulfed the dorm hallway, the public announcement system started to speak; it was declared that it would be a while until everyone would be released.

Some people panicked and others didn’t, but Josh Pennington, of Estepp City, decided to unite everyone by strumming the guitar and echoing famous hits such as: “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver, “Creep” by Radiohead, “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers, “Beautiful Girls” by Sean Kingston, and “What Makes You Beautiful” by One Direction. 

This jukebox hero was influenced by his friend as he told Pennington to “Get his guitar.” This simple act eradicated the “stressful situation…and by playing guitar everyone would stay positive and not be afraid.”

He chose to listen to requests and picked a song that everyone knew because “Singing in a group is such a unifying experience,” he said. Pennington has played guitar ever since he was three. He is self-taught and in a band, which makes it easy for uniting people together.

After Pennington was done playing in one hallway, he went to another. He even joked that he was “Going on tour.” He moved because he wanted to “Unite more people and have a positive impact on the whole community, instead of a few.” 

After everyone was released back to their dorms, Pennington was flushed with serotonin and adrenaline, making it hard for him to fall asleep. He stated that he was, “Extremely tired, but grateful that he made an impact on his fellow delegates’ Buckeye Boys’ State experience.”  

A couple of bystanders had some opinions on the guitar session. Luke Marling, of Zulch City and a court bailiff from Welsh County, was one of the active voices during the drill. Marling described it as “Pretty funny and fun … [I] absolutely enjoyed the concert … It brought the feelings up and left happiness everywhere.” 

He was crestfallen when Pennington left for the other hallway, so he began singing “Without a guitar player.” He had no issue getting up in the morning, he said that the “Happiness and joymaxxing carried into the next day.” This left him awake and ready to begin the morning.

Once the all clear was given by ALBBS leadership and staff, delegates were filed back to their rooms and finally were able to get rest at approximately 2 a.m. 

In the end, what could’ve easily been disastrous and chaotic was instead met with camaraderie, unity, and happiness, ultimately affecting many delegates from ALBBS positively.