The chilly breeze of fall has officially returned to campus with elaborate autumnal decorations adorning Georgetown University’s historic row houses and the return of highly anticipated pumpkin lattes and desserts to virtually every menu in the city.
After the innumerable sweltering summer days of September in Washington, D.C., the chill of fall set in just in time for October’s debut to the delight of every sweater-weather lover. The autumn festivities and nostalgia did not bypass Georgetown’s campus as the annual Hoya Harvest Festival offered scrumptious bites, live concerts and engaging crafts at Regent Hall’s outdoor patio Oct. 17.
Slightly tinged autumn leaves, spicy notes of The Corp’s pumpkin chai and the sharp tang of gutted pumpkins permeated the air around the Hoya Harvest Garden on Parents’ Weekend. While returning and current Hoyas paraded their parents through campus once more, Georgetown’s Earth Commons and the Georgetown Programming Board offered a site of respite for families complete with a pumpkin carving contest, delectable fall treats and live music from student groups.
The party did not lack VIP visitors either, as Jack the Bulldog greeted incoming families with a broad smile and wagging rump. Despite relatives’ probable wariness of any substances deemed “university-made,” the Hoya Harvest’s food options were terrific; the spread included chicken skewers, mini sandwiches, pumpkin cupcakes, spiced cookies and a cider and hot chocolate bar, complete with samples of The Corp’s drinks. Rarely was there a lapse in buzzing conversation, and the Earth Commons’ table gained wide attention for its efforts in sustainable gardening on campus.
Needless to say, the festivity provided ample entertainment and satisfaction to students and families alike. The highlights were outstanding performances by Georgetown student band Kicking Cans and a capella numbers by both the GU Phantoms and The Capitol Gs. From jazzy blues to rock ’n’ roll to musical favorites, the student performers graced attendees with an array of musical genres sure to suit even the most niche of tastes.
The festival also emphasized a vital and evolving feature of Georgetown’s campus: sustainability. Not only were families encouraged to participate in planting, plucking and perusing the Hoya Harvest Garden’s bounty, they also learned about the 60-plus types of plants grown in the garden and their final destinations. 85% of the fruits and vegetables serve families facing food insecurity in the greater D.C. area through the Hoya Hub Food Pantry, while the rest ends up in the mouths of frequent Leo O’Donovan Hall diners. The produce ranges from legumes, lettuces and fruits to exciting staples like bok choy, beets and Brussels sprouts.
Beyond its harvesting namesake, the garden embodies a living, teaching environment where Hoyas learn to cultivate produce intentionally through pesticide-free, crop rotating, minimal tilling and companion planting methods. Its fertile grounds also serve Hoya’s wildlife neighbors, supplying rich habitats for mammals, insects and decomposers. These sustainable practices help combat the global rise in greenhouse gases and global warming, one seed and plant at a time. Such rich sources of phytonutrients, plant-produced substances that provide natural health benefits, and renewable farming practices inspired families at the festival to ponder how they might fight environmental degradation as pioneering Hoyas do at the garden every day. Moreover, families could sample the fruits of these honorable labors at a pick-your-own-harvest event in the Hoya Harvest Garden.
Besides the food, fair weather and art fun, families continued to delve deeper into environmental clubs on campus with sustainability trivia and succulents at Georgetown Renewable Energy and Environmental Network’s booth, a food waste quiz and sorting game at the Food Recovery Network booth and a Georgetown REUSE pop-up sale. The opportunity to showcase Georgetown’s plentiful provisions, student organizations and artistic pumpkin-carving talents as a pit stop on the Family Weekend tour was a great success and made for a pleasant, fun and meaningful outing on a perfect, sunny fall day.
