By Julia Barth, Features Editor
Canisius College’s Student Programming Board (SPB) held its annual Fall Fest last Saturday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. in what turned out to be an event filled with food, games and great giveaways.
SPB was able to hold this event last year, but it was really special for them to be able to put on a more traditional Fall Fest in which many people could participate in the activities and games. Kobe Soriano, chair of SPB, said, “Seeing everyone just enjoying the event and having fun is the main goal of any event SPB puts on, and to be able to have this kind of programming after a whole entire year of mainly online programming felt really special.”
The whole quad was filled with inflatable obstacle courses, potato sack races, a mechanical bull and real axe throwing. These activities are some of Soriano’s personal favorites; he said, “It was fun to see who could stay on the mechanical bull the longest, and we even got Public Safety and children from the weddings that were happening that day to go on it, which was a lot of fun.”
The event had no shortage of food for attendees as well. The food trucks included classic Cheesy Chick which was serving up mac and cheese and grilled cheese, as well as Frank’s with options like chicken tenders, vegan burritos, veggie burgers and chicken sandwiches. Students were able to pick up their food with a free ticket and sit all around the quad with their friends to enjoy a nice, warm meal from some of Canisius’s most popular food trucks.
There was a great variety of fall-themed food and giveaways at the event as well. There were caramel apples, apple cider and (of course) donuts to go along with it. Kettle corn was an option for giveaways and SPB also provided students with Fall Fest mugs, Fall Fest sweatpants and mini pumpkins that students had the option to paint to decorate dorms or houses with.
Like last year, the programming also included raffle giveaways, which have always been extremely popular. Baskets included options of candy, Buffalo Bills and Sabres merchandise, an assortment of Halloween decorations and more.
Junior Hannah Fischer was one of the attendees, and she said that it has always been one of her favorite events put on by SPB. “I’ve always enjoyed going to Fall Fest with my friends, but this year was especially fun since the quad was full of students who came to check everything out,” she said. Fischer also noted that the giveaways and prizes were extra great this year and said, “The highlight was definitely winning a jar of candy corn from the raffle.”
Since Fall Fest has always been a staple event for Canisius College students, it was great to see everyone get involved and participate since it was definitely overshadowed last year. Students seemed happy to be back, a trend SPB has noticed with other events this year as people are ready to see each other again and be back in a community environment.
In case you missed SPB’s annual Fall Fest, there are other events coming up that anyone can attend, including a Halloween Carnival on Thursday, Oct. 28 from 6-8 p.m. in the quad co-sponsored by SigEp, Unity and RHA. There will be a Bills ticket raffle, a chicken wing eating contest, a costume contest and giveaways. Their next big event is the annual Semi Formal which will be taking place on Nov. 5 from 7-11 p.m. downtown at the Webb on Pearl Street. Tickets will be going on sale next week. Make sure to follow @canisiusspb on Instagram to stay up-to-date!
Some other events coming up for students to participate in include the Commuter Student Association’s Haunted Halloween Bash tonight, Oct. 22 in Regis and Grupp from 7-10 p.m. The event will include costumes, mini golf, pizza and prizes as well as C-Block’s pre-game to the hockey game on Oct. 29 from 4-6 p.m. in the Science Hall Commons — costumes are encouraged and pizza will be provided. And Fusion Gaming’s Halloween Game Night on Oct. 29 from 7 p.m. until midnight in the Palisano basement will include a costume contest and prizes!