A sea of superheroes, villains and everything in between flowed into Heritage Hall on Wednesday evening for the annual Harvest Fest, where costumed kids decorated paper plates, fished for candy and played a supersized version of “Operation,” among other activities.
The event was put on by the Panhellenic Council and Campus Life, and it included many Greek organizations and student clubs who arranged arts and crafts, as well as games like corn hole for the children to play as they travelled from table to table. Kimberly Jones ‘27, an organizer for the event, said that she had about 30 tables set up for the Harvest Fest and that all organizations that signed up attended.
Greek Village typically hosts the event, but overcast weather and rain all throughout this week led organizers to regroup and instead use the hall space just outside of Hawkins Arena rather than moving the event back in hopes of better conditions.
Despite the change, Jones said there “was a good turnout” and that she was pleased with how smooth the event went after a “nerve-wracking” planning process in the weeks leading up to Wednesday.
Jacob Hahn ‘27, a co-president of the Mercer University Botanical Society, said that because he comes from a background where he worked with young children in some capacity. Seeing the kids dress up as their favorite movie icons was his favorite part of the evening.
“It makes me really happy seeing all these kids that might not have the opportunity to go out and trick-or-treat in Macon,” Hahn said. “Watching them go table to table and do these fun arts and crafts things, it’s just really cool.”
Most of the kids who came to the Harvest Fest were around elementary school age, and many of their parents or guardians joined in on the fun, including one sporting a candy corn-striped cape and another dressed as a Sims player with a green indicator levitating over her head using a pipe cleaner.
Mercer Police Corporal Tim Moore, who dons a costume each year in October as a MerPo officer, dressed up as Willy Wonka on a day marked by candy consumption. Moore said that he got a late call from his supervisor, but that he because he has a collection of costumes that he has worn through the years, he was prepared for the occasion.
Jones added that her favorite costume was of Princess Peach, a Nintendo video game character known for her blonde hair and pink dress. At each table, too, Mercer students dressed up for the occasion to blend in with the crowd of mythical and fictitious characters roving the University Center.
Gabriel Kopp '26 is double majoring in Journalism and Law and Public Policy at Mercer University. He has written for The Cluster since he started at Mercer, and currently works as Editor-in-Chief. When he isn't working on a Washington Post crossword, he enjoys going for runs around Macon and reading The New York Times or the AJC while sipping coffee.
