On Thursday, April 30, the events committee of Keene State College’s student government put on its annual spring carnival on Appian Way.
Students flocked to the neon lights, whirling rides and free food to let off steam before their upcoming finals.
According to senior Chelsea Harris, who is the senior class president for the Student Government, planning for the spring carnival begins early in the fall semester.
“Once the date has been picked, [events committee members] start doing the big stuff; which includes scheduling the areas for the rides, picking the rides themselves and working with catering on food,” Harris said.
Staff from the Zorn Dining Commons lent a hand by tending to the food booths scattered along Appian Way.
The food and rides were available to all attendees.
Harris said different student government workers put a lot of work into making the carnival an enjoyable experience for everyone.
“They all work really hard in making and designing posters and t-shirts, doing music and setting everything up – stuff like that,” she explained.
Taylor Murphy, a KSC junior who went to the spring carnival, described the event as a fun and safe way to relieve some of the stress that comes from finals.
“Finals week can put a lot of pressure on students and I think this carnival is a way to remind us that we need to let
Jordan Crowley / Equinox Staff
ourselves take breaks every now and then before the pressure and stress get to be too much,” she explained.
Murphy stated her favorite part of the spring carnival was the food. “The mac and cheese, pulled pork and fried dough were delicious. It gave me a little taste of summer and made me all the more excited for finals to be done with,” she said. KSC junior and Health Science and Nutrition major Rachael Levy also attended the carnival and agreed that the food was her favorite part of the event.
“A lot of what was served was comfort food and I think that was smart of [student government] to serve because of how stressed students get this time of year. The mixture of food, music and rides definitely helped me relax a little bit,” Levy said. Levy, who stated that she is not a huge fan of carnivals to begin with, said she only went on one ride but found it to be “surprisingly cathartic.”
“I’ve always thought traveling carnivals looked kind of unsafe and sketchy but my friend that I went with made me go on The Scrambler and it was actually really fun. I forgot about all of the things I have to do for my finals for a little while and got to enjoy myself,” she said.
Both Murphy and Levy said they had slight concerns previously about the carnival not being put on because of the events that took place during fall semester’s Pumpkin Fest. “I had heard other students talking about the carnival and even spring weekend not happening because of the riots during Pumpkin Fest. Plus, I never really see any advertising for [the carnival] in general so I assumed it might not happen,” Levy said.
Murphy also expressed concern and stated, “I was a little worried we wouldn’t have the carnival. But then again, the students have done so much to show how much we care about our community and have made big efforts to convey that to the college and the town.”
Despite their worries, both Murphy and Levy said they were glad the spring carnival took place and gave students the chance to relieve some stress. Harris was unavailable for comment on the Pumpkin Fest concerns.
Claire Hickey can be contacted at chickey@kscequinox.com
