Students "survive" Spring Fair festivities

Spring Fair brought a variety of food trucks, live music, carnival rides and new events to the Homewood Campus this weekend for both students and the public to enjoy.

This year’s Spring Fair, the 44th annual, had a Survivor theme, based on the popular CBS reality television series hosted by Jeff Probst. New this year were the Survivor Challenges, where pre-registered teams competed in a series of competitions in the hopes of becoming the Spring Fair Champions.

The Mind Scrambler challenge and the Jungle Run took place on Friday. In the Mind Scrambler challenge, contestants raced to match cards in a competition of mental agility. The Jungle Run featured a test of agility as contestants made their way through an obstacle course while wearing beer goggles.

Saturday’s challenge, Buried Treasure, involved searching through tubs of gelatin in order to find a key that unlocked special rewards. On Sunday, the final event took place: a tug-of-war in which the teams fought for first place. After competing all weekend, the Safari Zone team emerged victorious, earning the Survivor Cup Trophy as well as $200. The second and third place teams earned $125 and $75, respectively.

The craft vendors on Keyser Quad offered students the chance to purchase a variety of merchandise including bonsai trees, jewelry, clothes, books, records, CDs, DVDs and cabinets.

Freshman Sabrina Viota enjoyed the selection available from the vendors and their willingness to negotiate prices.

“I wanted to purchase this gemstone thing and the guy was willing to bargain with me based on my budget down from $50,” Viota said.

Spring Fair began Thursday night with a Kick-Off Party at the Levering courtyard that included a fireworks display and a DJ competition between students. Bands and DJs also played on the Beach throughout the weekend.

The Beer Garden, held in the President’s Garden, was open throughout the weekend beginning Friday, and challenges were hosted there on Saturday and Sunday afternoon.

Friday afternoon was full of activities including an Adopt-A-Dog event and Spring Fair Through the Years on Levering Patio. The night’s main event was a concert featuring rapper Nelly.

Freshman Kelsey Harper enjoyed the concert because it was an opportunity to dance and have fun.

“To be honest, I didn’t go in with enormous expectations, but I ended up having a great time!” Harper said. “The music was excellent for dancing, plus it’s always fun to see your lab partners and study buddies let loose and get groovy with it.”

The annual pie and wing eating contest, a visit by penguins from the Maryland Zoo, and Clash of the Water Balloon Catapults on Wyman Quad occurred on Saturday. DJ Sweater Beats performed that night at Rams Head Live! in the Inner Harbor.

Spring Fair wrapped up on Sunday with a hot dog eating contest, a magic show, a dog playdate and other activities.

Vendors on the Freshman Quad sold food to students and members of the public throughout the weekend. Funnel cakes, chicken-on-a-stick and pit beef sandwiches were the most popular among the traditional carnival food options.

Freshman Ronit Schwartz enjoyed the variety of food offered by vendors at the fair.

“I think trying all the different foods was definitely a good way to really embrace Spring Fair,” he said.

Freshman Zelalem Demere was glad to find food that wasn’t a part of his typical diet but did not appreciate the price of the food.

“I’ve just become so used to FFC,” he said. “I just didn’t want to pay $18 for a meal, but I did.”

Freshman Ikechukwu Enenmoh particularly the enjoyed Wild Bill’s Soda Station that offered several flavors of craft soft drinks.

“I’m not really a soda person, but I couldn’t stop myself from going back there,” he said.

Harper appreciated the stress relief offered by the different on-campus events.

“My favorite part of Spring Fair was the general air of freedom and release emanating from the student body... It was nice to see our peers finally relax and put down their books for a little while,” Harper said.

Freshman Keri Frese agreed with Harper and said she particularly enjoyed the Pets-on-Wheels event on Sunday. “Members of the community brought their pets, mainly dogs, to campus and allowed us pet-deprived college students to pet and love their animals,” she said. “It was a much-needed stress reliever, and a simple thing such as petting a dog can make such a difference in your day.”