by ROSE BRENNAN, A&E Editor

When it rains, it pours.  And even when it doesn’t rain, it snows.

This was the sentiment that described the first-ever Fall Fest, hosted by Manhattan College’s Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity.  After being rescheduled due to inclement weather, the festival was held on Saturday, Nov. 10 at 12 p.m. on the campus quadrangle.  And as several students engaged in traditional autumn-themed activities, the first snow of the year fell from the sky.

The Fall Festival had several attractions for people who attended the Fall Fest.  Brothers were selling traditional autumn treats like candy apples and apple pie, and there were stations for pumpkin painting, cornhole, and “pie a brother in the face.”  Each activity came with a suggested donation, all of which went to the American Cancer Society.

Junior Timothy Hebert is the social chair of Delta Kappa Epsilon.  He said that part of the idea for Fall Fest came from a desire to publicize the fraternity.

“I had just been given the position and I was looking for new ideas to promote our presence on campus,” Hebert said.

Some of the previous activities on campus hosted by Delta Kappa Epsilon helped lay the groundwork for the Fall Fest.

“We’ve had carnivals in the past and it was kind of taking that as our base and implementing more of a fall feel … just building upon that,” Hebert said.

Though it is Hebert’s job to oversee events such as Fall Fest, he admitted that the idea was not his own.  Sophomore Anthony Bradley, a newer member of the fraternity, was the brother with the original idea for Fall Fest.  Bradley said his inspiration for the event came from his love of folk music, as well as the autumn season in general.

“I was sitting there listening to my folk music and I’m like, “Huh, a harvest festival would be a good idea,’” he said.  “I really like folk music and I love fall, and it came from my love of that.”

In addition to coming up with the idea for the event, Bradley also lent his efforts to the bake sale by contributing 18 homemade apple pies.

“That was about … seven hours [over two] days,” he said.  “It’s my mom’s homemade recipe; it won an award back home.  And it’s not as good as hers, but I did my best.”

Unlike Bradley, Delta Kappa Epsilon’s president Guillermo Garcia was not familiar with the traditional fall activities celebrated in the northeastern United States.

“I’m not from here, I’m from the Dominican Republic, so apparently here in the Northeast, it’s very nice to have pumpkin painting, pumpkin carving and all that stuff,” Garcia said.  “So [Bradley] thought it would be a great idea to just have it here on campus, and I agreed with him and I said, ‘You know what, let’s make some movements, let’s go, let’s do this.’”

Like many of their past events, Delta Kappa Epsilon worked with a charity.  For Fall Fest, the recipient of all donations was the American Cancer Society.

“It’s one of the philanthropies that we’re trying to help out and give back.  Me personally, I’ve had my aunt, who suffered from breast cancer, so I feel like giving back to it and trying to raise money and raise awareness and also trying to do something about it,” Garcia said.

He continued.

“Since we have the platform to do it and we’re in a position where we can do something about it, events like this can help out,” Garcia said.

Several members of the fraternity aspire to make Fall Fest an annual event, one which will grow with each passing year.

“We want to make it a bigger bake sale and I think the biggest thing we want to do is … have more live music and … make it on a weekday because right now, people aren’t walking around too much,” Bradley said.  “We want to have it so people are walking by and are like, ‘Oh hey, harvest festival!’”

Garcia also hopes to expand the event to the point where multiple clubs and contribute and collaborate with Delta Kappa Epsilon.

“It’s a big quad,” Garcia said.  “We can have more clubs joining, more stuff, and make it more of a bigger event.”