USI organizations to participate in annual Fall Festival

October is here, which means pronto puffs, apple cider, deep-fried food, games, rides and half-pot tickets are in the near future. The West Side Nut Club Fall Festival is returning to Evansville, running from Sunday, October 6 through Saturday, October 12 on Franklin Street.

During this week, Franklin Street will host the second-largest food festival in America, which brought in more than 200,000 visitors in 2023. Ranked Best Fall Festival by USA Today for the past two years, this event not only increases tourism in Evansville but also supports several USI organizations.

This year’s Munchie Map features a total of 137 food booths. Seven of these booths are run by USI organizations, including:

• USI Varsity Club No.107: Steak and porkchop sandwiches.
• Alpha Sigma Alpha No. 104: Chocolate-covered strawberries, Chicago hotdogs, fruit haystacks, Oreo cookie balls.
• Evansville Young Life No. 77: Aloha balls, puppy chow, puppy chow ice cream, ice cream cones, white chicken chili, bottled water.
• Delta Zeta No. 70: Fried pickles, mozzarella sticks, fried ravioli, jalapeno peppers, freeze-dried candy.
• Alpha Sigma Tau No. 64: Deep fried cookie dough, burgers.
• Lambda Chi Alpha No. 61: Philly cheesesteaks, bottled water, soft drinks.
• USI Art Club No. 38: Elote (Mexican Street Corn), bottled water, soft drinks.

This is the first year Capel Henshaw, Assistant Athletic Director of Development, is overseeing the USI Varsity Club booth. Funds raised by sales from the booth go to supporting the Varsity Club and USI Athletics.

“The money positively impacts the student-athletes we have on campus,” Henshaw said. “Contributions support academic and athletic careers through scholarship, leadership development, annual athletic budget needs, facility improvements and sport-specific initiatives so that USI student-athletes succeed in the classroom and in competition.”

USI’s athletic teams will work at the booth throughout the week. The Men’s and Women’s Basketball teams will be introduced at 6 p.m. Friday, October 11 on the Benjamin and Anna Bosse Foundation Stage.

Lillian Frazer, President of Alpha Sigma Alpha (ASA), said her sorority makes 6,000 Oreo balls during the weeks before the Fall Fest. “It’s a great bonding experience for us since we sit around together for hours talking and listening to music as we make them,” she said.

Everyone in ASA works at different stations in the booth. A portion of the money they raise at Fall Fest goes toward their local philanthropy efforts with Riley Children’s Hospital.

“It is always the highlight of the year to spend time with our sisters outside of classes and get to have the experience of Fall Fest with each other outside of our shifts,” she said.

Emma Clark, President of Delta Zeta, said the money raised from the group’s Fall Fest booth goes into eight of the sorority’s philanthropies, including their national philanthropy Starkey Hearing Foundation, which provides hearing aids to underprivileged children globally.

Amelia Hape, President of USI Young Life, said the organization has been involved in Fall Fest for over 20 years. “The goal for all non-profits at the Fall Festival is to be seen by and engage with the community around us,” she said. “Young Life’s purpose remains the same each year as we connect with the community and share our heart behind showing up in the world of adolescents, sharing the hope of Christ with them and helping them grow in their faith.”

The money Young Life raises goes back into their community, investing in their evangelical mission among adolescents and young adults. “So, stop by Booth 77, grab some puppy chow or white chicken chili, and ask us more about the mission” Hape said.

To map out your Fall Fest route, check out the 2024 Munchie Map online.