On Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, The CF Ocala Campus held its 4th annual Fall Fest in Bedford Plaza. Similar to the college’s bi-annual Club Rush, over 17 different clubs and organizations hosted tables to share information on their activities. From 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., over 237 students checked in to the event.
“Looking back at just last fall…we had about 200 [students] or so.” said Marjorie McGee, Director of Student Life. “So a good, you know, 30+ more students than last year”.
In contrast to events like Club Rush, the event featured distinct seasonal theming. While not specifically tied to Halloween, background music traditionally associated with the holiday was played, such as Ray Parker Jr’s “Ghostbusters” theme. Inspiration was also drawn from the Mexican Day of The Dead (Día de Los Muertos), most notably with songs from Disney-Pixar’s “Coco” being featured. Some students also came dressed in costume, with highlights including a mysterious white figure with sharp teeth, glowing eyes, and a business suit, alongside an inflatable dinosaur promoting the International Club.
Students were also able to participate in small activities around the area. The Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society hosted a “Pumpkin Toss” game (a bean-bag toss in disguise). The Imprints Magazine handed out kazoos that attendees formed something of a choir with. Another club offered free face painting. One of the most popular attractions, however, was the booth run by the S.W.O.R.D (Students Who Occasionally Roll Dice) Gaming Club. Their area featured an axe-throwing board, a table for Giant UNO (as seen at the SAB’s UNO tournament last semester) as well as free packs of Pokémon Trading Cards.
“We’re looking for more people who are interested in running certain things in the club”, said José Bonilla of S.W.O.R.D. “Normally, we don’t have scheduled meetings. We leave it to the members to want to meet up together depending on what game they wanna play. So, I’m hoping to get more people who will take active participation.”
Other clubs and organizations in attendance had similar goals. Destin Casey, Vice President of the Soccer Club, noted that they were looking to attract more members to their women’s soccer team. CF Ambassador, Yamilette Oquendo, expressed her hopes to encourage students to donate to their school supply drive, giving back to the community that has supported the college.
In previous years, Fall Fest featured a wide variety of snacks, including cupcakes, cookies, and pizza. This time, however, the SAB mainly provided attendees with grapes, served in special Halloween-themed cups (which were almost lost when the cooler holding them partially spilled). These were referred to specifically as “Franken-Grapes” by McGee. McGee also noted there was a “Make Your Own Snack Mix” stand featuring popcorn, pretzels, and goldfish.
“We knew all the other clubs would have lots of candy and stuff like that…” said McGee, when asked about the lack of food variety compared to past events. “So that, intentionally, it was just meant to be sweet treats for that event. Also budget!”
Overall, the 2024 Fall Fest appeared to be a success, even if some of the offerings seemed lacking compared to past iterations. Hopefully, this success will continue as the Fall 2024 semester nears its end, and the Spring 2025 semester nears its beginning.
