Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice

Fall is the time of year when everything is beautiful. That includes food because everything becomes pumpkin spice. On Friday, November 17, the University Programming Council hosted the Pumpkin Spice Festival in conjunction with CAPS. The festival consisted of a chill atmosphere where people could come hang out, eat some pumpkin inspired food, and relax. The event was free to all students and attracted a good crowd. Raffle tickets were handed out when first entering the festival. The raffle tickets went towards a basket raffle or getting a chance to be a part of the pumpkin pie eating contest. The welcoming atmosphere of the event drew people in and kept them there. There were three different choices of pumpkin inspired food at the event: pumpkin shaped cookies, pumpkin hummus and vegetables, and pumpkin bread. There was also pumpkin coffee available.

The raffle was picked for the first pumpkin pie eating contest and three students were chosen to partake in the contest. The winner of the contest was determined by either who finished the pie first or who ate the most in three minutes. The contestants were not able to use their hands to eat the pie. The crowd surrounded the table and cheered on the contestants. The contest seemed to completely engage the people in the room as everyone was shouting for someone to win. The contest lasted 3 minutes with the contestants eating the pies as fast as they could. It ended with cheers from the crowd as the winner was announced as Shak Magona who ate the most of the pie. Magona is a sophomore and a brother of Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity.

The event was fun and relaxing. There was music playing, food available, and a calm atmosphere to hang out with friends. The event was the brainchild of Nicole Basom, a sophomore Parks and Recreation major with a concentration in therapeutic recreation. When describing the purpose of the event, Basom connected it to end of the semester stress. “It’s more like a social de-stressor event,” Basom said. The end of the semester can be very stressful due to final exams and papers. Basom wanted this event to be an opportunity for students to de-stress before finals. “The social environment is de-stressing,” she said of the event. The festival was a good way for students to take their minds off of classwork for a while and enjoy being in a relaxing atmosphere with friends. Pumpkin spice made everything nice during this event. Hopefully, the students that attended will now feel more relaxed and ready for their finals.

Photography by Victoria Costa