By Amanda Valentovic STAFF WRITER
Parents and families flooded to campus this weekend for carnival rides, a concert and a comedy show as Hofstra kicked off its annual Fall Festival to celebrate autumn and the beginning of the semester.
Ludacris headlined the show with Sugar Hill Gang and Billy Joel cover band, Big Shot, who performed first. To end the evening, former late-night television host Craig Ferguson got the Mack Sports Complex laughing.
“We had a little bit more of an intentional fall theme,” said Director of Communications for Student Affairs Colin Sullivan. “We called it Fall Fest and it wasn’t all that ‘fall’ before, so we created more around the season.”
This year, there was seasonally-themed food like roasted corn and a photo area with pumpkins and bales of hay where students could take pictures with their friends and family.
Pricing for guests to the events was another change. “We really worked hard to make it more affordable for family and parents to attend,” Sullivan said. “And we were really happy to see that affect the attendance.”
The carnival also featured new rides and games that catered to both younger audiences and families but also kept student favorites.
Aside from these small changes to improve the event, there were no drastic changes to Fall Fest this year. “We try not to reinvent the wheel too much,” Sullivan said. “People see it as a tradition.”
The student body decides on the themes and acts that make up Fall Fest.
“We poll the student body on the genre and specific acts and we work our way down that list,” Sullivan said. “And we pay attention to what alumni would want because they remember it from when they were here.” This year, hip-hop was the most requested genre of performers. “Ludacris’s genre always polls the highest among the student body,” he said.
The Parade of Floats theme, another tradition, is also voted on by students. This year’s theme was Superheroes and Villains. Different clubs and organizations combined to come up with their interpretation of a superhero.
Alpha Phi Omega, Zeta Phi Eta and Alpha Kappa Psi, the community service, communications and business fraternities, respectively, joined forces to create a Kim Possible float. “We wanted to try and do something outside of the typical Marvel and DC superheroes,” Alpha Phi Omega president Beth Backer said. “So we tried to come up with shows from when we were younger that had superheroes and villains in them and came up with Kim Possible versus Drakken.”
Fall Fest was not complete without the crowning of Hofstra’s king and queen, where two seniors showcased themselves and defended why they should win on Friday night. The winners were crowned on Saturday during the festivities. Out of the six final candidates, this year’s winners were marketing major Jordan Richmond and public relations major Sarah McGough.
Jordan Richmond, who was crowned this year’s king, said, “When I won, I was really excited. And then I was even more excited when one of my best friends was crowned queen.”
Sarah McGough, who was crowned as the 2015 queen, said, “I remember when I was at the 2012 King and Queen Showcase my first year at Hofstra, I looked up to each of the king and queen candidates.” She will work closely alongside Richmond over the next year to represent Hofstra in a positive light.
Overwhelmed with excitement, McGough was thrilled to be given the prestigious title. “I thought of the past Hofstra queens and how I looked up to them and how crazy it is that now I am in their position,” said McGough.
To finish the night, Ferguson brought the laughs to the Out Loud comedy show, where his stand-up focused on everything from himself to current events.
“I had heard of him, but hadn’t heard him do stand-up before,” said sophomore film major Erica Sattler. “I really liked that he made fun of people like Bill Cosby and then backtracked to acknowledge that it’s a serious problem.”
Rebecca Meyers, a junior drama production major, agreed. “His comedy was smart and witty and I loved every second,” she said.
“Fall Festival is the event that brings together all of the folks who make up the Hofstra community,” said Vice President of Student Affairs W. Houston Dougharty. “I loved celebrating our Hofstra Pride with them this weekend, from greeting parents, viewing floats and listening to great entertainment.”