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The Spectator
College and Clinton Celebrate Season with Eighth Fall Fest
by Ramya Ramnath '13 and Kim Schoenfeld '13News Writers
October 30, 2009
The Hamilton College and Clinton communities came together on Sunday for an afternoon of food, games, performances and fun. Elizabeth Dolan '05 and other members of the Student Assembly started Fall Fest in 2002. According to Caitlyn Williams '11, co-chair of the Social Traditions Committee and one of the coordinators of Fall Fest, this is a "day for Hamilton students to get downtown to meet the townspeople and provide a wonderful fall day for children and the community."
While Hamilton students often enjoy taking advantage of what downtown Clinton has to offer, the students and Clinton community rarely have a chance to interact. Fall Fest is an important event to Williams because it "brings Hamilton into the community and creates a sense of friendship between the two entities." The event helps the Clinton community see Hamilton students as something more than a group of college students separated from them by the Hill.
Fall Fest not only provides a fun atmosphere for the Clinton community but for Hamilton students as well. Various campus organizations and Greek societies organized booths for their favorite fall activities. These included face painting, pumpkin painting, cookie decorating, mask making, a basketball game and a Breast-Cancer awareness booth.
Numerous Hamilton a cappella groups performed to a large, excited crowd and children danced in front of the performers. The Capoeira group also performed, which garnered a lot of interest from the curious crowd. To top it all off, Bon Appétit provided a delicious spread of food, including hot chocolate, chili, soups, deserts, and, of course, there were cider and donuts from the Clinton Cider Mill.
Over the years, Fall Fest has not only become more streamlined in terms of its activities and booths, but it has also grown in size, with more groups showing interest each year. According to Director of Student Activities Lisa Magnarelli '96, the best thing about Fall Fest is "watching the creative activities our students sponsor for the children of Clinton." Organized by the Social Traditions Committee, Fall Fest encourages a Hamilton tradition of making the presence of Hamilton College felt in the Clinton community and establishing a connection between the town and the College. The Social Traditions Committee works towards creating Hamilton traditions that all students can get involved in and enjoy.