AppalFest was hosted by APPS from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sanford Mall Friday, bringing annual fall-themed activities and community building. Although last year’s event was canceled due to Hurricane Helene, this year the skies were clear for the family weekend event.
“It’s a staple event for us,” said Sofia Magalhaes, senior general management major and secretary of special events for APPS. “It’s a great way to bring in fall, bring in the fall vibes. We love to do fall-themed things like pumpkin painting. We also serve apple cider and donuts, just really bringing that cozy feeling.”
Magalhaes, who oversaw the planning and setup for AppalFest, emphasized community building as a reason for the event.
“I think the purpose is to bring people together, especially with events located at the heart of campus. I think it brings just a great sense of community,” Magalhaes said.
373 students attended the event. They could be seen racing through the inflatable obstacle course on one side of Sanford Mall. On the other side, around a fold-out table, students who had just met shared a laugh as they painted plastic pumpkins orange and blue.
“It’s a way to connect with others and with your friends, and for me, as a freshman, it’s really cool to see how there’s different groups trying to bring that together,” said Amy Hernandez, a freshman cellular and molecular biology major.
Louisa Koehring, a sophomore psychology major, emphasized the opportunity to connect with others at AppalFest.
“I’ve run into quite a few people I know, and it’s barely started. I love being able to run into people that I might not necessarily meet up with,” Koehring said. “It’s such a central location that you’re bound to see so many of your friends passing through.”
Katie Brooks, coordinator of campus activities for student programming, said wellness was a goal of the event. Brooks said free lunch and inflatables allowing students to get energy out were two ways the event was meant to relieve stress.
“It’s very much stress relief to me because you get to paint — that’s art therapy. You get to run around, let your energy loose,” said Aleksander Spell, a junior chemistry major.
Some aspects of AppalFest remain the same from year to year, but students decide on new features each year as well.
“We have over 200 students in our organization, and every event we do, we do brainstorming sessions of: ‘What do you, as students, want at these events?’” Brooks said.
This year, local organizations Jump! of Boone, Boone Photo Booth and Twist the Balloon Man provided activities for AppalFest. Campus dining prepared food and drinks.
Sean Dougherty is a senior fermentation sciences major at App State and works for Jump! of Boone. He set up the bounce houses for the event earlier that morning.
Dougherty spoke about the role events like these play for freshmen in providing them a means to meet classmates.
“Walking through campus and seeing this just shows you how much character and livelihood that App State brings to their students. This is a great way to get the community together,” Dougherty said.
