Something almost magical whips through the air each fall, and it is always most prominent in October. At Conn, this time of year is celebrated with the return of alumni as well as the welcoming of parents, family and friends all coming to enjoy the exceptional beauty of the season. Though the changing colors of the trees alone is enough of a reason to visit campus, people flock from all over for a different reason: Fall Weekend.

These joyous two days are celebrated through a plethora of events: a cappella concerts, soccer and volleyball games, discussions and lectures, a moonlight dance and Harvestfest. I’ve found, throughout my years at Conn, that Harvestfest is at the heart of Fall Weekend. Clubs, campus organizations and teams assemble under a giant white tent in the middle of Tempel Green for Harvestfest. The massive tent is home to rows and rows of tables with students selling club or team swag and giving out information about one cause or another. This fair is strategically placed so families and alumni can see the diverse extracurricular culture that Conn offers (it also doesn’t hinder club fundraising either!). 

Though Harvestfest is only a three-hour event, there is something special every year about its occurrence. It really is inspiring to see the causes and clubs that students put so much time into, after class work. I worked two different tables this year: Habitat for Humanity as well as ski team. At the Habitat table we sold T-shirts and the ski team sold our famous “camel flannels” (different colored flannel shirts with a small beige camel below the left hand shoulder). The goal is to showcase Conn’s diverse activities and to invite visitors to experience all of these clubs and teams at once.