Aaron Johnson – General Assignment Reporter
NEW HAVEN – Pumpkin decorating, fried dough, and a good time had by all. Octoberfest hosted by Thursday Night Owls gave students a chance to relax and have some fun during a stressful week of classes.
“Well, I saw the posters in my building so I wanted to come decorate pumpkins,” said sophomore Shirley Virgile.
Music and laughing could be heard all the way outside of the Farnham Hall basement, where the event was being held. Students even braved the chilly weather to stand in line outside for fried dough and fried Oreos. Phylicia Lilly, a member of the Pro Con team, said that the turnout was great.
“We had a really good turnout this year. This is a great bonding experience for all the students,” said Lilly.
One of the main goals Lilly said was having an event that was fun for students and also something that would keep them on campus on Thursday nights — a day usually when students go downtown to clubs and bars.
“We aim for Thursday to keep students on campus,” said Lilly.
The purpose of Thursday Night Owls was also shared by the networking programmer for the program council, Jen Soto. Soto said that she loves Thursday Night Owls and the goal that they try and reach.
“This is a great turnout,” said Soto, a pre-nursing major from East Hartford. “It’s even better than last year. Thursday Night Owls is the party on campus.”
During the night, students enjoyed the music, candy, and decorating, but the fried dough truck was the main attraction. Virgile — a liberal studies major — said that even though it was cold outside she was prepared for it.
“I have my hoodie and my Northface, so I’m good,” said Virgile.
Virgile said she had no problem with the cold because she was dressed for the occasion. But freshman Sarah Coleman said she was going to fight through the cold weather if it meant being able to enjoy a fried Oreo when it’s all said and done.
“The line is really long but it’s worth it for fried Oreos. Besides I love the fall and it’s great when you see this many people involved in an event like this,” said Coleman.
Soto said that although she loves Thursday Night Owls and that Octoberfest was a great idea, the fried treats were one of the major incentives to her coming.
“I came for the fried dough,” said Soto through a big smile.
Students danced, decorated, and ate fried dough all night long. Virgile said that the atmosphere was making her look forward to Halloween this year.
“I just wanna go trick-or-treating so bad,” said Virgile, laughing.
Students came from all over campus, the event was free and so was all the candy and fried treats of the night. Coleman, a sociology major from Meriden, said that Halloween was in the air.
“I love Halloween and this has been a cool event,” said Coleman.
The night was seen as a success by Lilly and the rest of the Thursday Night Owls and Pro Con teams. Students can look forward to more Thursday Night Owls event throughout the rest of the year.
