The Potter College of Arts and Letters held a Fall Fest on Tuesday, Oct. 19 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on the Kentucky Museum lawn. The festival featured games, free snacks, club and department booths, as well as an overall theme of “PCALtown,” based on the movie “Halloweentown.”

Various groups within PCAL participated in the event, with tables and activities from almost every department within the college. Activities included pottery making from the ceramics club, gourd decorating from the Kentucky Museum and free temporary tattoos from the modern languages department.

“The Fall Fest is a retention event for all PCAL students, as well as students outside the college,” Ashley Edwards Cook, the Student Services Coordinator for the event said. “It’s an annual event every October.”

Students within each department worked the information tables and activities sponsored by their group. The goal of the event for many of these departments was not only to share information about what their group offers but to get to know the PCAL community as a whole.

“We’re representing the National Dance Education Organization, and we advocate to bring dance to the campus and the community,” Logan Schwartz, a senior dance major at the theatre and dance department table said. “We help with fundraisers and events to give scholarships to dancers and host free master classes for everyone on campus.”

The festival was put on by the Dean’s Counsel of PCAL, a group of students acting as the PCAL ambassadors, with support from the Kentucky Museum. Kayla Spears, a senior English major and member of this group, explained the importance of holding this event this year.

“We really want an event to bring the PCAL community together after so long apart, due to COVID cancellations,” Spears said. “This year, it’s on the Kentucky Museum lawn even though it’s usually at the Colonnades; we moved it because of the food trucks. I think just being together in person, as well as the free t-shirts and free food, brings people together. It makes people proud of their own department.”

Students from all colleges were encouraged to attend despite being hosted by PCAL. The Fall Fest was held to be an activity-based event, but it also provided many opportunities for students to branch out to see other areas of study.

“It’s a really cool opportunity to learn more about the different areas of PCAL and everything offered within each department,” Veronica Garcia, a sophomore film major said.

News reporter Alexandria Anderson can be reached at [email protected].