By Sarah Pinette Contributing Writer

The Center for Student Involvement and the Ferro Alumni center invites all friends and family of UMF students to enjoy another weekend full of activities including the Carnival on the Green, a variety of crafts and sporting events the weekend of September 28th.

   The festival kicks off on Friday night with an outside screening of Disney’s movie “Tangled” on the Mantor green. Journey Bubar, a sophomore at UMF and an employee at the Student Life office, attended last year’s Fall Fest. Bubar says that this was a popular event for students to attend with their friends because most parents won’t arrive until Saturday.

   “The outdoor movie was really big with the students,” said Bubar. “Even if you didn’t like the movie, people still went for the social part of it.”

   Saturday is packed full of events for friends and families starting at 9 a.m. Many activities will take place on the Mantor Green during Fall Fest. The first popular activity that students gravitate towards is the bunny petting zoo which will happen on the Green.

   “[The petting zoo] brought a huge crowd, obviously,” said Bubar. Another returning event that gathered quite the crowd last year is the carnival put on by the campus CA’s. The carnival will also happen during the 9 a.m to 12 p.m. slot on the Green. Activities at last year’s CA Carnival included balloon animals, face painting and donut-eating contests.

   In addition to outdoor activities, there are several events going on inside buildings all over campus. Activities in the Landing, which is inside the basement of the Student Center, will be sure to attract a large crowd from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. Some of these events include a photo booth and airbrush tattoos.

   Another event that is taking place in the Olson Student Center could be the most attended activity for the second year in a row. This is the “Stuff It Program,” that Fall Fest puts on every year. At this event, participants make their own stuffed animal. Bubar recalls this program as the most attended event. “So many people went that they actually ran out of beavers,” said Bubar. “They had huge piles of them but still ran out really quickly because it was so popular.”

   Saturday night ends with a concert by one of UMF’s acapella clubs, Clefnotes, at 7 p.m. The last activity starts an hour after the concert in the Landing. This event is the magic show put on by Todd Migliacci, an experienced and well-respected performer.

   The Fall Festival weekend is welcome to all and has something for all interests. Many students

see this as an opportunity to see their loved ones for the first time since they left for college. It also can be a time to forget about the stress that college sometimes causes and hang out with old and new friends.

   Another attendant of last year’s Fall Fest, Jess Freeborn, comments on her feelings of the weekend. “It really gets you in the fall spirit,”  Freeborn said. “And it helps with feeling a bit homesick.”

   “It was really worth it,” said Bubar. “And at the end of the weekend, I didn’t want it to end.”