Pumpkin bowling and painting coupled with introductions to student organizations offered a mix of academia and amusement at the second annual Fall Festival at the Hassayampa Academic Village courtyard Thursday.
A Halloween theme was in full force as pumpkins and candy were ever-present at the festival, which was sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Six two-liter bottles of orange soda were used as pins and a bowling ball-sized pumpkin was the projectile in a variation of the popular game.
"I've never bowled with a pumpkin before," said business freshman Brittany Laughrin. "It was fun and was not too hard, even without the holes (in a bowling ball)."
Some students surrounded the pumpkin-painting table as the top four pumpkins received a grab bag prize complete with Raisinets, soda and seasonal movies like "Gremlins" and "Corpse Bride."
Biology freshman Pouran Zaad spent her time painting yellow eyes and green hair on her pumpkin and said she gravitated toward the table because painting is her strength.
Painting a pumpkin was easier than painting on a traditional canvas, she added
"If you make a mistake [on a pumpkin], you can just wipe it right off," Zaad said.
Her sister, Parisa, a biology junior, also spent time at the festival painting pumpkins. She said the festival is more fun than the Arizona State Fair.
"The (State Fair) was crowded, and there were no hands-on activities," she said.
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences sponsored the event to help connect undergraduate students to academic clubs and organizations on campus, said Lisa Danley, president of College Council of CLAS and a political science senior.
"I had a really bad freshman year," Danley said. "I didn't know how to get connected to the resources at ASU."
Alpha Epsilon Delta, a national pre-professional honor fraternity, was on hand to promote its organization.
The fraternity is geared toward students looking to attend graduate school in a health field and provides great opportunities for its members, said Alpha Epsilon Delta member Angela Strobel, a biology and society senior.
Although Laughrin, the business freshman, did not speak with too many organizations on hand, she said she appreciates the effort that CLAS and the organizations are making to students.
"I appreciate the free food," Laughrin added.
CLAS provided 50 pizzas, numerous subs, soda and candy to the students flowing in and out of the courtyard.
Strobel said she appreciated the candy.
"We usually have Nerds on our table," she said. "I'm not kidding."
Reach the reporter at: jeffrey.mitchell@asu.edu.
