Despite the incessant rain, the turnout for Drew University’s Fall Festival this past Saturday was not dampened in the least. Attendees, insulated by ponchos provided at the door, moseyed from indoor activities to outdoor refreshments, eager for distraction from the poor weather, an afternoon of easy activity and plenty of free merchandise. Families cheerfully drank cupfulls of apple cider and enjoyed breakfast goods provided by Drew Hillel, and they fully appreciated Student Engagement’s Fall Festival.
“I really enjoyed being able to show my step-father around campus,” Emily Cookson (‘26) said through a mouthful of delicious beef-and-cheese empanada, which was provided by Zoelily’s food truck.
Said food truck occupied The Pub’s back parking lot, along with Fork in the Road. Hot empanadas and hamburgers were a popular solution to the seasonal chill, warming up guests while they waited in line for handmade donuts drizzled in chocolate and cream cheese. Paying with tickets provided by Student Engagement, visitors were able to enjoy a free lunch and keep themselves toasty under the rain.
“My favorite part was the food. Boy, was I hungry!” Michael Donnelly (‘27) said.
However, free food was not the only big-ticket attraction for those looking for fall activities. Every nook and cranny inside the Ehinger Center overflowed with different varieties of autumn excitement. Pumpkins spilled out of every doorway. People painted tiny pumpkins picked from a center stage in The Space constructed from bales of hay. By the end of the event, these little canvases had taken root beside the biggest pumpkin of them all, gathering to dry together.
A golf course snaked its way through Crawford Hall accompanied by an inflatable ax-throwing station and piles of animals, which guests had the ability to stuff on their own. The EC was soon flooded with stuffed candy corn creatures, orange-colored bears and plump pumpkins decorating busy tables and displaying felt smiles for all to see. The thunk of plastic axes and attempted holes-in-one echoed amidst autumn music and lively chatter from crowds all eager to join in on the festivities.
As the semester’s first month draws to a close, as the days get colder and the nights a little longer, it is easy to succumb to cloudy discontent. However, this year’s Fall Festival helped the Drew community welcome the season of reflection and harvest with cheer, setting precedent for what will surely be a fruitful, fun-filled fall semester.
Annabelle Smith is a sophomore majoring in studio art.
