On Friday, Oct. 22,  Rowan After Hours (RAH) held its “Homecoming Harvest Festival” at Hollybush Green. This event celebrated homecoming with students, alumni, and the Rowan community. 

This year’s homecoming theme was “Back to the ’90s,” which RAH overwhelmingly succeeded in. From the music to the games, the 90’s feel was definitely there. 

Upon arriving at this event students paid $8 for hand stamp and food vouchers. They could redeem them at one of the four food vendors that were set up. The choices of food were Baby Blue, Aunt Martha’s Famous Funnel Cakes, Tacos al Carbon, and Dan’s Waffles. 

Along with the food trucks and games such as balloon pop, basketball and cornhole, some students could win stuffed animals, like a unicorn, from one of the games. This event also had a Velcro wall which everyone seemed to enjoy. Small children especially looked as if it was the best thing they got to try. This was a family-friendly event and guests even brought their own furry little friends to enjoy the fall festivities.

There was also a petting zoo which seemed to be the highlight of the entire evening. The Happy Trail Ponies and Petting company was in attendance with goats, ducks, sheep, bunnies, chickens and a donkey. The line to get into the small petting zoo was longer than the food truck queue. Students and children were seen holding bunnies and ducks. All the animals seemed content with the people surrounding them and getting their pictures taken.  

The students that worked for RAH were everywhere at the event, from the activities to the vendors, and seemed to be ready to help anyone who needed help or had a question. 

One of the most noticeable parts of the event was the music. The band Lima Bean Riot was playing classic ’90s music that had everyone up and dancing. One song that was recognizable was the theme song from the television show “Friends,” called “I’ll Be There for You” by The Rembrandts. Young children jumped and danced all over the dance floor which brought smiles to people around them. 

The Rowan dance team also performed at this event and did a fantastic job entertaining the audience. The dance team is a talented group of students that worked hard to put on a great show. The crowd was attentive and seemed to be immersed in their routine. 

While this is my last semester here at Rowan, I wish I would have gotten more involved in the Rowan experience and attended more events RAH had to offer. The Harvest Festival was a hit, and there were hints of fall all over with pumpkins, hay bails, and little scarecrows. 

While not the largest event of the weekend, the festival did bring the spirit of fall and homecoming together. RAH did an amazing job of bringing the ’90s to Rowan. It will be exciting to see what the RAH organization will come up with next for events. Surely they know how to get the student body involved and keep the fun going. 

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