Mackenzee Simms / Contributing Writer
On Thursday Oct. 17, the Student Activities Council held Samford’s second annual Fall Festival in Ben Brown. Students bundled in sweaters and jackets shuffled between arts and crafts tables, pumpkin themed carnival games and smores stations as they swayed to the live music of student performers taking advantage of the open mic.
With lights strung in the trees and pumpkins scattered around the plaza, the Student Activities Council transformed Ben Brown into an autumnal wonderland. The muted lighting and flickering candles created a perfect atmosphere to spend a fall night beneath the stars, and if the biting breeze became too much for your numb fingers, there was a free, steaming cup of crisp apple cider to cuddle around.
Musicians performed in front of a backdrop of assembled wood crates and stacked pumpkins while audience members gathered in hay bale seats surrounding the makeshift stage. Rowdy applause from friends in the crowd followed students as they approached the mic, encouraging acts that ranged from freshmen with acoustic guitars to full bands.
Every 30 minutes, there was a small intermission that featured a fall-themed “minute-to-win-it” games, officiated by the Student Activity Council’s Stephen Peacock.
Volunteers from the crowd raced to defeat their opponents in challenges such as wrapping their partner in toilet paper like a mummy and placing oreos on their foreheads and trying to get them in their mouths.
The ultimate prize of the evening came in the form of $40 in Bulldog Bucks for the winner of the pumpkin carving contest. Various groups of students carved dozens of jack-o-lanterns with designs ranging from cute to scary in order to win. For those who wanted to express their creativity, but weren’t fans of making a mess, there was a pumpkin painting station with paints and brushes all laid out.
Next to the mini smores station, students tested their skills in the classic games of bowling and minigolf, but with a fall twist. In minigolf, players had to aim their shots through a carved pumpkin obstacle. In bowling, the pumpkin replaced the bowling ball and students hurtled the vegetables down the lane.
After enjoying an evening of warmth and fun, students immortalized the night by huddling in front of the spooky backdrop to take a few photos as the festivities wound down.
Whether or not there is photographic proof, Fall Festival was a night the student’s of Samford won’t soon forget.
