Friends, Festival, and Fun

When the cool autumn breeze gently blows, there's laughter and joy all around, and the scent of familiar food trucks is in the air, everyone knows what time it is… It’s Fall Fest!

Fall Fest is an annual festival held at Jefferson Academy. It’s an end-of-the-day activity with food trucks, games, and other fun events. It is hosted by the National Honor Society and other clubs that also contribute. The Fest leads up to the big high school dance: Homecoming.

“I think it’s a fun way to involve the whole school in homecoming week activities! I remember being in junior high, thinking it was really fun to participate in, even though the dance was high school only,” mentioned senior Kimberly Lighthart.

This year, Fall Fest will be held in the main gym, the patio, and the front of Jefferson Academy. This is due to the track still being constructed. However, the new layout doesn’t mean Fall Fest will be any different.

“Having some of [Fall Fest] inside is nice. I do like having it all outside, just because there’s more space, but I don’t mind this layout at all. That way, you’re not outside in the sun all day,” senior Chase Wittman said.

Since new spaces are being used for the festival this year, it can be hard for the coordinators to adjust and adapt to plan Fall Fest. Luckily, the National Honor Society president is always looking at the positives. 

“It will be a little hard to adapt because we will have less space for clubs to set up and for inflatables, but I think that the space could make Fall Fest feel more like a carnival,” Audra Shields explained. “We really have no choice [to move] due to the construction on the track, but honestly, it could be really good. I wish that we were more outside, but we will still have lots of space for food trucks and games.”

One of the food trucks, Kona Ice, is a popular choice for everyone to go to. While the lines can be long, many students are willing to wait. 

“I got a strawberry banana smoothie, and it was pretty good,” junior Sarah Otterstetter mentioned. “I have never had that from Kona Ice before. The line was pretty long, but it was manageable. Overall, I really enjoyed it.”

Other games, such as skee-ball, run by the National Honor Society, were enjoyable to participate in. 

“I ran skee-ball for 20 minutes, and it was really fun to see the different people trying to get the ball into the 100-point spot,” junior Penny Rogers explained. ‘We gave candy to whoever got the most points in the end.”

Even with new challenges and changes to Fall Fest this year, it is still exciting and fun for everyone involved. 

“I just like seeing all the creative ideas each club has and all the different activities there are to do,” Wittman added.

There are hopes and expectations for this event every year. Copious amounts of effort are put into Fall Fest every year, and it is worth seeing.

“[I look forward to] smiles on the students' faces. We put a lot of time into this event in hopes that students have fun,” Mrs. Thimsen declared.