Pumpkin carving, free t-shirts and tables returned once more to Fiske Quad during the annual student government-sponsored Pumpkin Palooza.
Students were able to meet new people and enjoy fall activities from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Additionally, students were able to receive free palm readings and tarot card readings from two local psychics.. Pumpkin Palooza has been going on for over 20 years. When first organized, the event was known as “Pumpkin Lobotomy,” a name that was changed in 2020 to recognize the problematic history the lobotomy procedure carries.
Student Body President Brooke Richards said, “Pumpkin Palooza is a great way to bring the community together,” considering students in attendance are able to meet people they have never met before.
Student Body Vice President Mary Ronning said Pumpkin Palooza is a great way for “students to engage in getting more involved, especially at the midpoint of the semester.” When it comes to organizing the event, Richards explained she has the most fun organizing the tee-shirts and picking out the different types of food and beverages being available for students to enjoy. Next year, Richards said she hopes the “voting for the pumpkin carving contest is more organized, and everyone can vote on it,” not just the advisor.
Many different clubs attended the event, one being the Psychology Honors Society, where members Samantha Heinrich, a senior, and Lydia Trahan, a junior, sat at a booth meeting new people who may be interested in joining. Since this is the first time the psychology honors society was there with a booth, it was a new experience for the both of them. Heinrich shared that by setting up a booth with many students in attendance, it was “a good way to get their name out more, since it is an event that a lot of students go to, and is a great way to connect with new psychology major students.” Trahan says that “it is a good way to get members, grow closer as friends and students.”
Two students who attended the event, first-years Kelly Arnold and Brian Lombardi, enjoyed carving pumpkins on the Fiske Quad lawn. Arnold said she could come because she “had free time, and could enjoy her time outside of a classroom.” Lombardi explained that he went to Pumpkin Palooza since it “was something to do.”
Samantha Smalick can be contacted at
samantha.smalick@keene.edu
