Homecoming: Not just fun & games; Harvest Carnival serves surrounding community

Thursday, October 20, 2011

By Stephanie Taylor

This year, Oklahoma State University will celebrate ‘Where Your Story Began’ as it welcomes students, the community and alumni from across the country back for Homecoming weekend starting Friday, Oct. 28.  The university will also be hosting the largest Harvest Carnival that Stillwater has ever seen, said Robyn Thomas, public relations senior and Homecoming Public Outreach executive.

“Harvest Carnival is the biggest event that connects the university with the community,” Thomas said.

This year’s event is Tuesday, Oct. 25, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Payne County Expo Center, located at East Highway 51 and Fairgrounds Road.

Harvest Carnival began in 1913 and is the oldest Homecoming event, Thomas said.  Harvest II, a community food drive sponsored by Stillwater Junior Service League, is the philanthropy Harvest Carnival partners with each year.  OSU’s Homecoming has been partnering with Harvest II for at least the past two years, said Melisa Parkerson, director of student programs for the OSU Alumni Center.

Entrance into Harvest Carnival is one can per person. For carnival games, $1 or one can of food will get you two tickets. Residential Life, Greek Life and several other student organizations create their own games for the carnival.  The theme for each game is related to the Homecoming theme, said Emily Sellers, nutritional sciences senior and homecoming executive.

“Through Harvest Carnival, individuals are urged to donate cans throughout the year and it helps Harvest II all year,” Sellers said.  “For us, this is our way to give back to them.”

This year’s carnival has expanded so much this year that the event will take up two rooms in the expo center, Parkerson said.  There are also a lot more entries for the chili cook-off, as well as for the Harvest Carnival games from student organizations and Greek houses at OSU.  There are about 25 to 30 groups participating in the carnival, Sellers said.

“We had an amazing response this year,” Sellers said. “There are definitely more participants than last year.”

Some of this year’s games include a shooting range and an obstacle course. There are prizes at each stand. The games are fun and educational and targeted toward Stillwater families and elementary age kids, Sellers said.

“We don’t do Harvest Carnival for the university alone but for the community as a whole,” Thomas said. “We want everyone to come, but we particularly encourage the community.”

There will also be a chili cook-off at the carnival, which costs $3, Thomas said.  Student organizations and residential halls provide the chili for the cook-off.

Sellers said people will be given a ticket and a bowl and spoon so they can sample the different chili.  Once they choose their favorite they place the ticket in the chili of their choice.  The group with the most tickets by the end of the night wins the cook-off.
 

The executive team added a costume contest to this year’s carnival because it falls right around Halloween, Parkerson said.  Kids are encouraged to wear costumes and prizes will be awarded for different age groups.

The Homecoming executive team has been planning the carnival since school started. There are nine executives on the team and each has committees working under them, Sellers said.  They will help set up the expo center the night before, sell tickets and help pass out candy to the kids.

“It has been a lot of planning, calling people and asking for donations,” Sellers said about the planning process for Harvest Carnival.

The importance of the event is that it allows OSU students to give back to the Stillwater community, she said.

“For several months out of the year, Stillwater is our home and we need to give back to the community,” Sellers said.  “A lot of times we get so swept up in school, but there’s a lot here we can do to give back to the community.”

Parkerson agreed about the importance of giving back to the community.

“Homecoming brings back so many alumni and people from the community,” she said.  “So it’s a perfect way to give back to Harvest II and Stillwater.”

POMP FOR THE CURE

What is it: Pomp for the Cure is a fundraiser specifically created for Oklahoma State University sororities to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Sorority members mail out letters asking individuals to donate a set amount of money for every hour they pomp for Homecoming. Students register as teams and can compete individually.  All the money raised goes to the CFF Oklahoma City.

Who does it benefit: The money raised will benefit families fighting CF as well as CF pharmacies, research and patient care in Oklahoma.
 
When it started: This is Pomp for the Cure’s first year at OSU.

How long it lasts: Students fundraise from the first week of school until the end of Homecoming week.

Prizes for students: After raising their first $80, students get their names placed in a weekly drawing for several prizes. Any sorority that raises $25,000 will get a funded date party at a location of their choice. The 10 sororities raising money for CFF will be invited to attend a luncheon held in their honor next semester by Rex Horning, president of Stillwater National Bank.  They will also receive the Stillwater National Bank Compassion Beyond Compare award.

How to Donate: Donations can be made by contacting a member of a sorority or directly to CFF online at www.cff.org/chapters/greatstrides/okc.

Why you should donate: “This is an exciting time to support the foundation because you will definitely see the results,” said Sutton Joslin, CFF OKC representative.  “In our lifetime we will have a cure.”