Community Celebrates Fall at 21st Annual Harvest Fest
By Michelle Nam '10
News Reporter
Last Sunday, October 14, was a beautiful day to be outdoors—and to be at Choate’s twenty-first annual Harvest Fest. On the SAC patio, many students and locals came to the festival to enjoy good food and music. Harvest Fest gives clubs an opportunity to raise awareness and money for their organizations. Many clubs had booths set up with alluring attractions, including four desserts, three drink options, and seven main dishes. The dessert options included a wedding cake offered by Sexual Minorities and Straight Supporters (SMASS), caramel apples sold by UNICEF and Helping Others in the World (HOW), s’mores sold by the Asian Students Alliance (ASA), and apple crisp sold by Students Against Climate Change. All of these foods could be purchased through fifty-cent coupons sold by the Committee on Student Activities (COSA.)
The s’mores were a big hit, and the ASA sold all of what they had prepared. Annie Nam ’11, a member of the club who helped out on the booth said, “We sold out on the s’mores, and people really liked it. I think it was popular because the weather was a bit cold.”
Although it was a very nice, clear day, it was a bit chilly, which attracted people to warm foods like hot chocolate (Darfur Awareness Club), hot cider (Lilith), and miso soup (Japanese club). Ayaka Okawa ’10, an officer in the Japanese club, said, “I think people liked miso soup because of the weather…but I think it was a good chance to show what our club’s about, like Japanese culture, food, and traditional costumes.”
The Japanese club booth did stand out among the many cultural clubs at Harvest Fest, as Miya Watanabe ’08 and Ayaka Okawa ’10 served traditional Japanese miso soup in colorful kimonos. Other clubs also showed their characteristics— Multi-Cultural Outreach sold sodas from Asia and Mexico, and the Choate Indian Association’s miniature samosas were an interesting addition to the event. The Hispanic Latino Forum (HLF) offered chicken and beef tacos with fried plantains. Choate Afro-Latino Students Alliance (CALSA) sold chicken, beef, and vegetable patties and the Step Squad sold Jamaican jerk chicken with rice. Other main dishes included teriyaki skewers sold by Educate Asia, and crepes sold by the Culinary Club.
As well as good food, there was also live band music provided by Zydeco. The band provided old-time rock music that added fun and excitement to the festival. Also, with the help of Mr.Yanelli and Mr.Bielizna, bathtub races and Bounce Houses were set up in the basketball court outside of the SAC. Students and local kids all enjoyed these rides, so much so that lines for them were nearly always long. Emily Callen ’10 said, “I liked the bounce houses and the bathtub races so much that I didn’t have tickets to spend on the food. They were pretty much awesome and it was nice to feel like a little kid again.”
Many other members of the local community came to Harvest Fest, most notably the Big Brothers and Big Sisters program. The Big Sisters and Brothers had fun with their little “siblings,” and many parents also stopped by to buy some treats for their children.
Each fall, Harvest Fest brings Choate students together to enjoy the great autumn weather and to celebrate it through good food and fun rides. Although the turnout could have been better this year, many students and club members look forward to this fall event every year.
