Christa Rodriguez || Contributing Writer

This past Saturday, September 26, students and community members gathered from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm to enjoy music, free food trucks, and fun at Franklin & Marshall’s first annual Fall Fest. The event was co-sponsored by IFC, Panhel, CEC, and WFNM, and was completely free for all F&M students. It took place on Hartman Green and many members of the F&M community came out to celebrate the arrival of fall.

The musical performances included four exciting bands, each with their own unique styles. The opening act was Steel City Sunrise, an alternative folk-rock band. This lively band from Bethlehem, PA consists of bassist James Copti, banjo player John Pehnke, ukulele player Jacob Newman, and guitarist Mikale D’Andrea. The band integrates classical folk instruments, while at the same time including sounds based off of mainstream influences. In addition to some originals, this band played covers, performing a medley that included popular songs like “Shake it Off” by Taylor Swift and “Pumped Up Kicks” by Foster the People.

The second band to hit the stage was Flamingosis. The artist, Aaron Velasquez, is a Franklin & Marshall alumni from the class of 2013. While here, he enjoyed participating in Arts House events and performing in our co-ed a cappella group, The Poor Richards.

Velasquez’s style is electronic, with outstanding beatboxing, as well as elements of hip-hop, rap, and experimental pop. Flamingosis ventures to create music similar to the styles of musicians like Flying Lotus, J Dilla, and Madlib.

Stolen Jars was the third band, which is an indie-folk band composed of members Cody Fitzgerald (guitar and vocals), Molly Grund (main vocalist), Connor McGuigan (guitar), Matt Marsico (drums), and Tristan Rodman (keyboard). First Year student Mitchell Winter commented on their music, saying, “I think they’ve got a nice ambient sound.” Their music is inspired by artists such as Sufjan Stevens, Elvis Costello, and Dirty Projectors.

The final act was a local dynamic rap duo from Lancaster County, Jbre x Dougie Kent. Still currently college students, they brought an inspiring young vibe to the crowd. Their growth in fame is thanks to Youtube videos and Twitter, which allowed them to gain thousands of followers.

This relatively new hip-hop group just went on their first headliner tour, promoting their recent release, “Ars Nova” on Russet Records.

The numerous free food trucks were among the other main attractions of the event. Fall Fest featured food from many local restaurants, included Slovaki Boys, a local Lancaster eatery specializing in Gyro, Sven’s cafe, serving Cuban sandwiches and buffalo chicken, Soul Burrito serving vegetarian burritos, and Lancaster Brgr Company, serving burgers with swiss cheese, mushrooms, and onions.

According to Chen, the many attractions of Fall Fest made the event worthwhile, saying that “they should totally have it every year, especially because of the free food!”

Freshman Christa Rodriguez is a contributing writer. Her email is crodrigu@fandm.edu.