This year, when the sun goes down the stars are not the only ones that come out.
Now, every Thursday night (weather permitted) yard games are out for all Keene State College students to enjoy. These yard games are located on the Fiske Quad from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., and include cornhole, paddleball and hula hoops.
Tiffany Mathews, Coordinator at the Wellness Center, and other students a part of the Wellness Ambassadors group, a volunteer group which started up this year, had the idea for this event. The Fisk Quad is a great space for such games and still allows students to social distance.
“We have such a beautiful campus and I am all about giving space for students to hang out and get to know each other,” Mathews stated. As students may be connecting with their current friends they bring along with them, they can also get out and make new ones. Mathews was excited to see “people organically showing up, [and] most of them don’t know each other.”
Students were joining games together and listening to music altogether, in an attempt to rebuild the community KSC (and everywhere) lost during the quarantine.
GeovAna Galdino Rezende, a first-year at KSC, shared “I only discovered this event by walking by with a friend” and s he thought it looked really cool. She mentioned that she liked the opportunity to meet new people, as well as “actually feeling at home again, instead of being in a quarantine box.”
As she and her friends created a game together, Rezende shared that she particularly enjoyed the hula hoops provided; “I haven’t had a hula hoop in years, I feel like a child again!” Even in the darkness, students seemed to have had a good time and shared the experience with others.
Senior Megan Palmer mentioned that she saw this event on Hootie’s Rewards, an app that students can use to hear about upcoming events, as well as being able to ‘check-in’ to events and get points for prizes, and thought that the Yard Games event would be cool to go to since there have been limited activities to do with quarantine happening. She shared that this was a great space for her to get outside and “to take advantage of this nice weather while it lasts.”
Palmer also commented that she really enjoyed the corn hole games since they were all lit up which made it easier to see in the dark and more fun.
Another event that Mathews mentioned was the weekly night hikes happening every Friday at 7 p.m. (students RSVP to Mathews if interested). Mathews acknowledged the weather in New England and the concerns of having outdoor events but she mentioned that she thinks there is, “no such thing as bad weather, just maybe not appropriate clothing.”
So go out and enjoy the KSC campus, explore New Hampshire’s seasons, and maybe make some new friends. Take a break from the dorm room and zoom classes, and get on campus for a grand time.
Denise Ronan can be contacted at:
dronan@kscequinox.com
