Despite cold temperatures and the threat of rain, the memory of Phil Semmer was celebrated Friday during a daylong festival featuring musical acts, barbecues and environmental awareness.

Semmer, who would have been a McCormick senior this year, died Aug. 31 in a car crash while traveling in Australia. His mother and friends coordinated Philfest with members of Students for Environmental and Ecological Development.

“I was going to say, ‘Phil would have loved this if he were here,’ but I won’t because Phil is here,” Joan Semmer, Phil’s mother, told about 300 people in Norris University Center’s McCormick Auditorium. “Phil believed in the environment, he believed in helping others, but most of all he believed in unconditional love.”

SEED President Genevieve Maricle said she was surprised at how emotional she became when Semmer spoke about her son.

“His memory was brought forward in a way I really didn’t expect it to and it really touched me,” said Maricle, a Weinberg junior. “The fact that he was so concerned about the environment meant that we were living this person’s memory through the things he cared about. I really found out who this remarkable person was.”

Semmer’s mother and SEED are trying to raise $100,000 to create an internship at the Rocky Mountain Institute, an environmental think-tank where Semmer wanted to work.

Semmer’s elocution came immediately before the final musical act, Merl Saunders with his Funky Friends. Saunders and five other acts originally were scheduled to perform on Norris’ East Lawn, but the week’s temperatures dropped and Philfest organizers moved the bands inside because they didn’t want them to perform outside on such a cold evening.

Travis Jacobs, 25, didn’t seem to mind the indoor venue. He drove about five hours from Iowa City, Iowa, to attend the concert after hearing about it from one of the bands, Rebecca’s Statue.

He danced barefoot with eyes closed near the auditorium’s entrance for most of the night. He said Philfest was “awesome” because of “good music and good people,” and that he didn’t mind the auditorium’s stench, which he described as a mix of “BO with a little pot.”

“It gives the place atmosphere,” he said.

Weinberg senior Jij de Jesus, a friend of Semmer who helped plan the event, also said the indoor venue had some unexpected benefits.

“Towards the end of the night, it was cold outside and it was nice to be at an intimate setting,” de Jesus said.

Speech senior Wes Weidenmiller said he was glad that he was able to enjoy the party with Phil’s friends and family from Minnesota.

“(Phil) would have liked to see us all together having a good time,” he said. “All the other people who showed up to enjoy it with us just made it better.”

De Jesus, Weidenmiller and other friends of Semmer all worked with SEED to turn the environmental group’s annual Earthfest concert into Philfest. Maricle said the result was so positive that she would like to see the tradition remain.

“It seemed so perfect that I definitely think it would be an incredible thing to have in memory of him every year,” Maricle said.

De Jesus said that although he would love to see his friend continue to be remembered, his work here was done.

“We’re all seniors and graduating. We just wanted to leave Phil’s mark on campus, and we did that,” he said. “But if they want to make it a tradition every year, we’ll support that 100 percent and we’ll definitely be there to party with them.”

De Jesus said the night was the perfect way to remember his friend.

“I’m 100 percent positive that Phil would have loved the night,” de Jesus said. “Actually, he did love the night.”