On Saturday, select departments, residence halls, social clubs, interest clubs and honor societies will join forces to provide food, entertainment and information during the annual Homecoming street fair.
Unlike previous years, the street fair will be held on the KWC walkway and in the Smith-Martin courtyard, running from 10:30 a.m. until 1 p.m.
According to Kenny Parson, president of Dativus, his club always looks forward to being part of the street fair.
“Dativus will be selling fried foods, and we’re going to sell a variety of them,” said Parson. “In the past, Dativus sold fried turkey, so that’s where we got the idea. This year, we’re going to sell fried cinnamon rolls, fried oreos, fried pickles, fried onion rings and fried cheese curds.”
Parson explained that the environment of the street fair is what he appreciates most about this AU tradition.
“My favorite part of the street fair is getting to see the culture of each of the groups that are present,” he said. “It’s cool to see how they interact, not only amongst themselves, but when they’re with the other groups. It’s great to see everyone in one big group.”
According to Ryan Stuthers, president of Avanti Boosters, his club will be offering food with entertainment.
“For the street fair, Boosters is going to sell brownies and burgers,” he said. “We will also have a dunk tank, as usual, where we dunk Boosters.”
Stuthers’ goal for the street fair is to do more than raise money for his club.
“We want to bring a fun element to the street fair so it’s not just about fundraising but also making Homecoming fun for everyone,” he said.
According to Colby Dennis, president of Adelphi, his club will be offering a couple of snack options.
“Adelphi is going to be supplying popcorn and sherbet-flavored punch,” said Dennis. “It’s like a root beer float but with sherbet ice cream and sprite.”
In addition to this, Dennis said that his club plans to sell a unique form of entertainment to visitors.
“We’ll be providing the opportunity to throw eggs at two of our very own club members,” Dennis explained. “The cost will be $2 to throw three eggs.”
Courtney Cook, president of Alacritas, explained that her club will be continuing their Homecoming tradition.
“At the street fair, Alacritas sells puppy chow every year, so that’s what we’ll be doing this year,” she said. “Also, this year we want our alumnae to come to the table so that we can get in contact with them. So we’ll be using the street fair to actually connect with people, not just sell.”
According to Mckala Lindsey, president of AU’s To Write Love on Her Arms, her club will be bringing a new food option to the street fair.
“We are selling banana boats,” she said. “Banana boats are an old camp tradition where you take a banana, leave the peel on it, cut it open, fill it with marshmallows and chocolate or peanut butter, wrap it in foil and grill it until it’s all nice and melted. It’s a really yummy dessert.”
For Lindsey, the best part of the street fair is seeing all those who have contributed to AU’s rich history in one place.
“I think it’s really cool to see everybody who is there, because there are current students, alumni and families,” she said. “It’s just this big celebration of all of the people who are tied to AU. You get to see all of the different clubs and departments in one place participating in one thing.”
Carter Haupt, an RA for Dunn Hall, explained that his hall will be offering various goods at their booth.
“This year Dunn Hall will be continuing our tradition of selling meat to the past, present and future Ravens who stop by the street fair,” said Haupt. “We serve hot dogs, brats and our exclusive Brooklyn special—a hot dog and brat in one bun. We also sell some drinks and our merchandise to give alumni and people across campus a chance to purchase some Dunn-quality gear.”
Although Haupt enjoys the food offered by clubs, he also appreciates another aspect of the street fair.
“We meet people that love to hear what we have been up to and they always get excited to hear that some of the traditions are still going on,” he said. “It goes to show how deep the connections we are forming right now go. I love the interaction between multiple generations of AU alumni that the street fair provides during the Homecoming weekend. The street fair really gives us a chance to open our perspective to the rich history that AU has and it makes me excited that I get to be part of that narrative.”