Waynesburg University

Video courtesy of WCTV, Rebekah Vaughan

Pumpkins, music, and a friendly competition between university faculty and students. What more could be asked for from the annual Harvest Fest event put on by the Waynesburg University Student Activity Board?

On Thursday, Oct. 28 from 4-6 P.M, the SAB teamed up WCYJ, the university radio station, to put on the yearly event and to include new features. 

This year the event kicked off with the very first Pumpkin Drop competition. The Creativity and Innovation students created contraptions to protect their pumpkins from the drop and to compete to see whose pumpkin could survive the drop from the top floor of Hanna Hall.

Tables featuring campus clubs and activity groups were set up around Johnson Commons during the event. Clubs such as the Mad Anthony Yearbook, PRSSA, EcoStewards, Student Activity Board and more. Music for the event was provided by WCYJ.

At 4:45, the main event of Harvest Fest began. The annual Pumpkin Bowling competition, where students and faculty go head to head to see who can knock over the most bowling pins with pumpkins painted and provided by WCYJ, the organizers of the event.

Gwyn Napier, the student General Manager for WCYJ said the event was fun to plan and set up.

“This was my first year since this is my first year as a GM,” Napier said. “I bought the pumpkins, a few of us got together and painted them last night.”

Students and faculty took turns rolling pumpkins towards the pins to see who would come out victorious. Even university president Douglas Lee took part. President Lee is notorious for his winning record, but did not come out on top this year. Lee said he may need to train a little more for next year’s competition.

“I just sort of got here, picked up the pumpkin and gave it a toss,” Lee said. “It didn’t work the first time, so I may have to practice next year. I think my pumpkin skills have eroded in the last year or so.”

The first prize winner was student Michael Connelly, who thanked his childhood bowling experience for helping him win.

“Twelve years old [I] bowled a lot. So I prepared a lot for this honestly,” Connelly said.

Connelly also said that these types of events were important for himself and other university students.

“I feel like it’s a really good opportunity for students to come together and just kind of make relations, keep connections and kind of foster the connections that they already have,” Connelly said. “What better way to bowl against the president of the school than to do that ourselves?”

President Lee also said that it was the students at the event that made it such a good time.

“I always say this but I love the students,” Lee said. “And I love the way they respond in true Waynesburg spirit and form and creativity. This was the first year we did the pumpkin drop, and that was so much fun to watch. Even though I got defeated in the pumpkin bowling contest this year, I still had a remarkably wonderful time and I look forward to it each year.”