Complete with music, bouncy castles, ice cream, and a mechanical bull, the Flagstaff cluster hosted its annual Fall Festival on Saturday evening. Organized by Christopher Capano, Director of Student Activities, and Stephanie Cormier, Student Program Coordinator, the goal of the Fall Festival was to create a space where students could enjoy the community during the first weeks back.
“We just wanted to do something that is very easy for kids to come. There’s no pressure, you don’t have to be dressed up, you don’t have to be fancy. You just come as you are, come with your friends, hang out for a little while. You can stay for ten to twenty minutes or you can stay for two hours, works either way—just have fun,” said Capano.
Boasting a high attendance, the festival created an opportunity for students to meet new people, play games, and eat ice cream. Georgie Harpole ’25 commented on her favorite aspect of the event.
“I decided to come here because it’s a carnival and there should be a lot of games, and because it’s always nice to spend some time with your friends. There’s a mechanical bull… I think that it looks like everybody is having a good time. It’s good to see everyone together and happy,” said Harpole.
Despite its lack of extensive planning, this year’s Fall Carnival retained aspects from previous years’ iterations, such as rides, food, and a DJ.
“Our board has only really met once this year so far because we’re just getting into school. So adults kind of planned this one and we’ve usually done a Fall Carnival in the past and it has been popular. We knew we had to get a DJ, some fun rides, some food, and go from there,” said Capano.
New students, like Marisol Tang Rasmussen ’26, also enjoyed their first Fall Carnival with ice cream, spending time with friends, and watching people fall off of the mechanical bull. But Tang Rasmussen also expressed that she would have changed a few aspects of the event to make it more engaging and enjoyable.
“Something I would change is the music and more things to do that aren’t just bouncy houses. Maybe like something they had last weekend—cacti, donuts, fried donuts, the customized sign, and the guy who was making the customized name signs,” said Tang Rasmussen.
