News Reporter
With the leaves changing color and the temperature dropping, the 20th annual Harvest Fest took place last Sunday in celebration of the beginning of fall.
Highlights of the day were the food and tie-die stations from clubs, live music, the inflatable “moon-jump,” and bathtub races. Jeremy Davidson ‘10 spent two and a half hours amongst the different stations, “It was fun to race the bathtubs, and my little brother had a great time.” Christian Bielizna, the organizer of the event, said “It went great, I think most of the groups were happy with the turnout.” Tyren Bynum, treasurer of the Choate African Latino Student Alliance (CALSA), said “It went well, and I am sure it was a success for our club.”
Mr. Yanelli came up with the idea of Harvest Fest 20 years ago with the goals “to raise club awareness and to be a fund-raiser” as most clubs run a profit year after year. He reminisced to the early years when the student council’s “tie-die booth would raise a couple thousand dollars.” “This is a great event for both the students and the school”, with minor details tinkered with to enhance the visitors’ experience year after year.
The live music from “Remember September” played to impressed crowds. After being raved about from other schools’ activity coordinators, Bielizna brought them in to perform. They played a number of songs and “really enjoyed the atmosphere” as pointed out by one band member. Lenny Futterman ‘10 said: “the music was the best part.”
The food was another favorite. Ranging from Neopolitan Pizza from the culinary club, to beef patties from CALSA, “The diversity of food was great,” said Tamara Gonzalez ‘10. She went on to say: “The fried plantains [from the Hispanic Latino Forum] reminded me of home,” as the selection of dishes were based on the cultural backgrounds of the clubs. “I loved the dumplings and the free food,” declared Greg Van ‘07, a member of the Chinese Club who coerced a number of booth-workers to give him a free sample. Derek Lubetkin ‘08 observed: “There were a lot of leftovers” at the end, as many clubs began to give reduced prices, and even free goods at around 3:30. The Culinary Club, led by Allison Hinckley ‘08, brought their prices down from five tickets ($2.50) down to one ($0.50) by the end.
There were definitely waves of people as observed by moon-jump operator, Anthony Avitable from Sound Spectrum, also saying: “There were a lot of kids, like there are every year.” Jim Yanelli, the inventor of Harvest Fest decreed: “It’s almost a Choate family day, lots of families come out to it, even faculty without kids… the food, appropriate music and the games give it a great atmosphere.”
Although a great turnout, a number of students declined to attend the event. Avitable said, “There were fewer people this year, probably because of the weather.” Other factors that could explain the lack of attendance were that most of the school traveled three hours to Hotchkiss the previous day, and the Head of the Charles Regatta coincided with the event. “I really missed the bath-tub races,” articulated Sarah Barnekow ‘08 a first boat rower, competing in Boston. Mark Nemec ’07, complained, “It was too expensive,” which was a valid point, as pizzas were vended for $2.50 and small sodas for $1.00.
Overall the event was still a great success, with most clubs bringing in profits and guests having an enjoyable time. Still there at 4:30 helping the clubs devour their extra food, Dan Thomas ‘08, a Harvest Fest enthusiast said “It was a good place to relax, and release some well-deserved [sic] athletic stress, and I can’t wait for all the food next year.”
