So for those of you who haven’t heard, February 13 is officially Galentine’s Day! Ever since Leslie Knope coined the term on “Parks and Recreation”, women across the country have gathered together the day before Valentine’s Day to celebrate female friendship.
So Hoosier ladies, get your pink on and go all out this year to celebrate your best gal pals in Bloomington! Here are some ideas for how to celebrate “the best day of the year”!
Kick off the day with a delicious brunch and mimosas at Runcible Spoon.
Go bar hopping with your BFFs and enjoy $2 Tuesday!
Visit a craft store and gather all the supplies you need to make some fancy Valentine cards to give to all your friends the next day.
Go to KroGucci and raid the bakery section. Treat yo-selves to a bunch of delicious goodies and pretend that calories don’t exist on Galentine’s Day.
Pick up a couple bottles of your favorite drink and stay in for a night of board games.
Rent/Netflix some cliché, girly chick flicks a la Mean Girls, She’s the Man, or Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.
Get dolled up and enjoy coffee/tea and treats around downtown Bloomington. (Recommendations: BLU Boy Chocolate Café and Cakery, Inkwell Coffee House, Cup & Kettle Tea Co.)
Go see a performance! This week the Cardinal Stage Company presents “Sex with Strangers” at the Ivy Tech John Waldron Arts Center. Or you can go see the Jacobs School Wind Ensemble perform at the Musical Arts Center at 8:00 pm.
These are all just suggestions, but feel free to get creative and celebrate in whatever way will bring you and your friends joy J It doesn’t matter what you do, but make sure to take the time to appreciate the girlfriends in your life. Happy Galentine’s Day!

Lauren Butz
Accelerated MPA Student, class of 2019
My name is Lauren, and I am a senior working on my Accelerated Master's of Public Affairs through SPEA. I started out studying Trombone Performance at Jacobs, but after a year I realized that law and public service had my heart. I have participated in the Washington Leadership Program and am a Herbert Presidential Scholar. I have worked my way through a number of jobs from barista to White House Intern, and I'm just keeping on until I achieve that American Dream.
School and work keep me pretty busy, but I can always find time to relax at the end of the day with a cup of tea and some jazz on the record player, pretending that I have it more together than I do. But college is for figuring it all out, right?
I hope I can share with you some of the lessons I've picked up along the way, and eventually we will master this whole adulting thing together. Go Hoosiers!