A community event organized by students in the fall semester “Garden Studio” course featured pumpkin carving, fall-themed baked goods, music and more in the Elon Community Garden.
Hundreds of Elon University students and community members enjoyed the sights and tastes of the season on Friday during an annual Pumpkin Festival hosted by an environmental studies class.
With pumpkin carving, live music and free fall-themed baked goods, visitors to the Elon Community Garden on Oct. 24, 2014, enjoyed festivities organized by students in faculty member Michael Strickland’s fall semester “Garden Studio” course.
The event was a way for Strickland and his class to showcase the Elon Community Garden, which he said “doesn’t function in the typical sense” with many individual plots. “We want the garden to be a focal point for the campus,” he said.
The Center for Environmental Studies, the Department of Environmental Studies, Elon Hillel, the Elon Academy, the Watson-Odyssey Scholars Program and the Office of Sustainability supported the event with additional assistance from the university’s Fun Fund.
New this year was an information table on composting, and musical entertainment from student singer-songwriters and vocal groups.
The festival was a trash free event with composting and recycling bins available. While compostable bowls and cups are available, the class encourages visitors to bring a mug and/or bowl to use for food and drink.
“A lot of people are interested in the event because of its fall themes and pumpkins,” said Elon junior Mary Ann Collins, a psychology major from Dallas, “but this draws in concepts related to sustainability. Giving people information about that, and raising awareness of the garden in general, is good.”
Strickland said the festival – and its corresponding spring Strawberry Festival – will eventually feature dishware thrown by students in an Elon pottery course.