OUR OPINION: Traditions don’t happen overnight, and the groups on campus that have tried to start ones this year need to persevere and grow their respective events, year in and year out, into legitimate traditions.

The Brent Road block party, which the University and Raleigh Police Department demolished a few years back, probably started with a bunch of people chilling on their front porch, drinking and listening to music.

It didn’t magically garner thousands of students and become the most notable tradition in N.C. State history, besides tailgating, the first time it happened.

Speaking of tailgating, that also took time to grow and evolve. Fans weren’t sitting out at Riddick Stadium in the ’30s and ’40s boozing, playing corn hole and cooking pigs like we do now.

The point is, events such as the West Campus Jam, which took place Saturday night, that yield dismal turnouts, shouldn’t give up after the first, second or even third year. Set a goal and get it done, but be patient.

The West Campus Jam started in the ’60s and died — students are trying to bring it back, which is great, but it certainly won’t be instant. It will take a lot of work and time to grow to what it used to be, which isn’t impossible, because it’s a great event.

Our homecoming is a perfect example: it died, and students have worked furiously to get it back to what it was. And they are making significant progress.

Take, for instance, Wear Red, Get Fed in the Brickyard during Homecoming Week. It started with students handing out candy to those that wore red, and now it has turned into an event with vendors, where participants get full-fledged meals every day of the week.

The parade is also on its way back, getting bigger and bigger every year. We’ll admit, the Pack Howl concert has taken a dip — it’s hard to go from Ludacris to Daughtry, but things happen, and we understand we can’t always have our cake and eat it too.

The last thing aspiring tradition-starters or revivers should do is get discouraged and quit. Put emphasis on things such as student incentives and advertising, but remember, the best way to get students to participate is word-of-mouth.

If your friends are adamant about going, then most likely, you’ll want to go and participate too.

If you build an event over time, do it right and make it extraordinary. Students will come.