Few traditions are as time-honored in the United States as the Fall Festival. Traditionally, the Fall Festival is a celebration of the beginning of the harvest season, however in modern culture it is more a celebration of the end of sickly, hot summer days, the beatiful new colors and flavors of autumn, and, more generally, good friends, family, and company.
In what is becoming a traditional at the Center for English as a Second Language at the University of Kentucky, students, faculty, and staff all came together at the farm of Mrs. Karen Papp, a CESL instructor. There was barbeque, barn yard animals, apple cider, square dancing, volleyball, and a fire pit with marshmallows to roast.
Ms. Laura Carter, the CESL Office Manager, attended the event with her daughters: "Fall festivals are uniquely American: roasting s'mores, hayrides, square dancing. So many of our students come from urban areas, so this is a chance for them to appreciate the simple life on a farm: the little things that people in this area may take for granted. Lexington is not a big city, but it's not the country side either, so many of our students study here without ever exploring the beautiful surrounding countryside."