Fall Fest!!!

 

One of the most anticipated events on campus occurred earlier today. Beginning on Friday afternoon, Bethel College invites community members to campus to hear speakers, listen to musical groups, walk through student-created booths, play games, and eat food. The main day of Fall Fest is Saturday, and beginning earlier than 8 am, students, staff, faculty and community members were setting up booths and selling food and handicrafts.

I began my day at the Students for Social Change booth, where my friend Emilie and I gathered signatures for a petition involving the recent Palestinian bid to the UN for statehood. In the same booth, other students sold arroz con leche (rice with milk, raisins and cinnamon) and distributed information regarding the School of the Americas. Other booths sold newspaper subscriptions, held contests to win prizes, sold cookies and verenike, held a Free Sale, and offered tie-dying.

At 10:30, I headed over to the soccer fields to photograph a Muggle Quidditch game.

Turnout was good – we had enough students and community members to fill two teams. The players had an excellent time passing the Quaffle, chasing the Snitch and scoring goals, all while avoiding Bludgers.

Next, I went to the Thresher Gym for a German meal – borscht (cabbage/tomato/beef stew), sausage, zwiebach (soft roll), peach pie and a dill pickle. Delicious! By noon, the forecasted rain had showed up and most of the student-run booths had rushed into the FAC and set up shop. It was pretty crowded in there; definitely not as much room as on the Green! There were still a stalwart few who braved the rain long enough to sprint to the red-and-white striped tent on the Green to listen to a concert from the Bethel College jazz musicians.

Many others watched the fall comedy “Charley’s Aunt,” which is described by my friend Jocelyn a few posts down.

This year was my final Fall Fest as a student. Part of me is relieved to not have so many responsibilities and to just sit back and enjoy the event without running from one booth to the next, but mostly it’s a little sad to know that I won’t ever be quite as involved in the planning and execution of one of Bethel’s most popular events. As a senior, I’m beginning to realize that these bittersweet realizations will keep coming, and best thing to do is make the most of them.