Fall Fest is a yearly tradition here at Bethel. It is a time for alumni and students to interact on campus.
For students, it can be one of the busiest times of the year. Student clubs and groups host booths and provide various forms of entertainment throughout the day. One group that plays a major role in Fall Fest is the Student Alumni Association (SAA). SAA President Madelyn Maltsberger says, “We help the alumni office a lot during Fall Fest. They are in charge of the setup on the green so we help them set everything up.”
Since the Alumni office is in charge of a big portion of Fall Fest, SAA helps ensure the event runs smoothly. Another thing Maltsberger said is, “In the evening we do a shuttle service for the football game.” This might seem like a small task, but walking from the stadium entrance to the stands can be difficult for older alumni and visitors. SAA’s shuttle service helps make the game more accessible.
Another big part of Fall Fest is the Fine Arts Department’s small groups. The two student-led acapella groups, Woven and Open Road, perform during Fall Fest. Woven member Kyra Linenberger says, “We perform music that we’ve been working on all semester and then we perform it during the Saturday of Fall Fest.”
Since this is an alumni event, performances by groups like Woven and Open Road can help alumni reconnect with their time at Bethel. Many alumni were members of these groups themselves.
Clubs and small groups also use Fall Fest to raise money. Woven and Open Road hold a bake sale and sell T-shirts, while clubs like the Bethel Barbeque Club smoke brisket and also sell T-shirts. For some clubs, this event provides most of their money for the year. The Bethel Barbeque Club uses the money to buy more meat and fund campuswide events. For Woven and Open Road, the money goes toward purchasing music and T-shirts for the following year.
Fall Fest is a great opportunity to get involved on campus. Many other clubs and student groups also participate, such as DivCo and the Psychology Club. Students play a major role in making Fall Fest possible, and the event brings together Bethel’s campus community and alumni.