News
Clinton’s Fall Fest: an anticipated tradition
By Mikayla Greeley ’19
October 6, 2016
Tags news
Fall Fest embodied all the favorite aspects of autumn. With a chill in the air, members of the Hamilton community, both faculty and students, had the opportunity to interact and mingle with the villagers. For the first few hours of the event, kids enjoyed the various booths of arts and crafts and activities like sack races and face paint. Professors, students, kids and dogs that all love Clinton participated to make the day as special as it was! Bon Appétit catered the event with free chili and chowder to warm our stomachs. Other local spots also offered fresh cider and cookies during the day.
While working at my booth, I had the chance to chat with some Clintonians. I heard that coming to Fall Fest is an annual tradition for many of the local families. One mother explained to me that her daughters anticipate this day for weeks prior and then talk about how much fun they had for weeks after. “My girls love watching the students walk around the green. They also love hanging out with the older kids, playing games, talking about Halloween costumes,” she said. Then her five-year old who had been busy drawing a princess at my booth chimed in, “Last year, I dressed up in my costume to show everyone and we even dressed up my dog!”
Groups on campus like the Philanthropy club, HAVOC and Alpha Theta Chi hosted these fun games and brought their own baked goods for villagers. Attendees were lucky enough to hear the performances from three of Hamilton’s a Capella groups, Duelly Noted, Special K and Tumbling After. Talking to some of the performers, I learned that they look forward to this particular performance on the green every year. “It is exciting to show the local community outside of Hamilton what we do on campus. And I think they really enjoy having us sing here!” one a Capella member said.
Besides the Cider Mill donuts, the highlight of the day was the scavenger hunt. This hunt included local shops and restaurants in the village, where participants could get free samples and cool discounts. The giveaways included carnations and succulents from the flower shop, Vineyard Vines croakies at Kronos Martin Apparel and other fun treats. Walking by a group of students, I overheard one say, “That store was so cool, I had no idea it was so close to campus!” This quote emphasized to me the importance of this day for the local shops to gain popularity.
After talking to a few of the other booths, the members of various organizations talked about how excited they were to be apart of the day. However, many reiterate how important it is to spread the word that the event was going on. They see first hand how it benefits the stores and how much the local community really enjoys it. A few mentioned that they had wished there was a larger student presence during the day, but that the numbers improve every year. If you missed the event, make sure to mark your calendars for next year because it is a day you do not want to miss!