<st Saturday’s trip to Minnesota Harvest Orchard marked the return of a beloved Carleton tradition at a new location this year. Nearly 250 Carls loaded up four buses to embark to Minnesota Harvest, rather than the nearby Fireside Orchard, which Carls usually frequent but which was unfortunately not an option this year due to a poor apple crop.
While there, Carls plucked the best looking apples, and enjoyed the corn maze, apple-launcher, and small petting zoo. “I had lots of fun last year. It’s a great bonding experience with my friends and there’s good pie,” said Zach Richmond ‘15.
While his sentiments were echoed by many others, there were still other reasons why people made the trip. “I enjoyed jumping for the tall apples few others could reach,” stated Nathan Bamberger ’15. Others were more excited for the other activities that were offered at Minnesota Harvest. “My favorite part was jousting with dead corn stalks in the maze,” contributed excited sophomore Carolyn Raithel.
All in all, the Student Activities Office is pleased with how the trip turned out, despite the unfortunate but necessary change in venue. “The apple orchard trip has been happening for a long time and has become a favorite tradition of many students. It’s something everyone can enjoy about the fall,” stated Special Events Programming Assistant, Gillian Fitz ‘14.
It was with this in mind that organizers scrambled to find a replacement for Fireside Orchard when news of the poor crop reached the Student Activities Office’s ears. “At first we were in a small panic, because we have always gone to Fireside, and we knew students would be expecting to go. However, with proper advertising and word of mouth, we were able to alert students to the change and provide them with a new opportunity,” said Fitz.
With this in mind, organizers began to search for a suitable alternative. “After some research, it turned out that Minnesota Harvest was the only orchard nearby that could guarantee apple picking for lots of students. “We knew we wanted to provide an alternate trip, so this orchard was the obvious choice. Minnesota Harvest also offered a collection of other activities that made the longer drive seem worth it,” Fitz went on to clarify.
But for those bemoaning the change, Fitz is confident that next fall will see a return to our original orchard. “We hope that this is a one time change and that next year we will be able to return to Fireside for apples and those awesome donuts.”
Nadine Sunderland, the assistant director of Student Activities, echoed Fitz’s sentiments. “Although Fireside was unable to accommodate us this year due to the weather, we plan to return to our local business next year.”