Several new services and attractions were introduced to this year’s Lakerfest, including new inflatables, a food truck, a sign-in table and ticket systems. The festival on Saturday ran from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Onondaga Field on west campus.

Both workers and attendees expressed excitement toward the additions to the yearly event. A number of new inflatables lined the west side of the field, along with games such as tug-of-war, oversized Jenga and water gun tag in the center of the field, and hammocks tied to the trees along the north edge of the field.

The row of tables on the east side of the field was dedicated to checking students in and giving out wristbands and tickets.

A sign-in system involving the wristbands was added as a way of taking attendance. The wristbands were required in order to use the inflatable attractions, and the tickets were required for the Stuff-A-Buddy and the new Twisted Food Fusion truck. Only the first 300 students to sign in were given tickets.

The table was meant to be visible to anyone first arriving at Lakerfest, but it seemed that most students ended up skipping the sign-in; some were not even aware there was a sign-in table.

The ticket system for Stuff-A-Buddy was put in place to shorten the lines and warn people in advance when the stuffable plushes ran out. The tickets for the food truck – which was serving nachos and chicken tacos – were also meant to manage the lines and put less pressure on those running the truck. However, most students were unaware of the ticket systems and ended up getting on both lines anyway.

Fortunately for them, the staple of previous years – popcorn, snow-cones and cotton candy – were also being served for free in a separate area.

Returning to Lakerfest were tarot readings and the therapy dogs from PAWS of CNY. Other attractions included caricatures, massages and a photo booth.

Ariel Sheehan, a freshman, said she had a great time at her first Lakerfest. She said that it lived up to her expectations and her favorite thing was the presence of the inflatable attractions.

“If I didn’t see them, I wouldn’t have wanted to come,” she said.

One thing that Sheehan liked about Lakerfest was its ability to bring together students from all over campus.

“You can meet a lot of new people, a lot of upperclassmen that you wouldn’t meet normally,” Sheehan said.

Those working at Lakerfest were also able to enjoy the spirit of the event. Senior Sebastian Garcia was representing Glimmerglass Fitness Center at a table and encouraged students to participate in a challenge to do the most pull-ups on the gym equipment that was brought out.

Garcia had been attending Lakerfest since his freshman year, and Saturday was his first time running a table. Though he was working the table for the entire event and was unable to enjoy any of the attractions firsthand, he still enjoyed watching others have a good time.

“I love getting to see all the resident assistants, getting to see people come out, waiting in line, doing activities [and] having fun,” Garcia said.

Garcia and Sheehan, as well as numerous other students, said they appreciated the presence of the food truck at Lakerfest and suggested that there be more food trucks next year.

This year’s Lakerfest was organized and put together by Anneke Darling, the hall director of Scales Hall. According to Josh Catrine, the assistant hall director of Onondaga Hall, most of the work was an easy routine of previous years: contacting on-campus organizations, getting residence hall staff to assign resident assistants to work the festival and calling in most of the same vendors. The inflatables and stuffed animals are provided by Blue Apple for Lakerfest and other campus festivals year after year.

However, the food truck was new and took some more work to get ahold of. Though Auxiliary Services has provided fair food for Lakerfest in the past, Catrine said that Darling believed the food truck would be a valuable addition to the festival.

Catrine said that Onondaga Field is an ideal spot for Lakerfest to be held for a number of reasons. Catrine explained that the field is large enough to fit all of the inflatables and tents, and Onondaga Hall provides easy and convenient connection to electricity and water for the festival.

Photo by Austin Dearborn | The Oswegonian