Let the Celebration Begin

By: Devon Cormier
Posted In: News

While hundreds of locals and tourists flock to downtown Newport for its annual celebration of Oktoberfest, few would have imagined such an event taking place on Salve property. But as of September, Salve officially became a wet campus. The promises of October could only mean one thing: let the German celebration of beer commence! .Within limits, of course.

On Friday, Oct. 22, students, faculty and staff gathered in Wakehurst to celebrate Salve’s rendition of Oktoberfest. Tables were set up outside with a plethora of traditional German foods. Everything from the more conventional sauerkraut and zucchini fritters to American favorites such as pretzels and German chocolate cake could be found. The apple strudel seemed to disappear every five minutes. Salve students on the meal plan could simply swipe their ID cards to partake in the event, while those not on the meal plan had to pay $4.

Inside, while Edwin Mutanguha, a senior, DJ’ed German music for the event, people sat at tables conversing and enjoying their food. The roped off tables in the corner of the Wakehurst lobby were of special interest to some, for at these tables, those over 21 could purchase alcohol. For $2 to $4, depending on the beverage, one could purchase beer or red or white wine. Those of age had to present proper IDs verifying so, and then received a stamp. As a precaution, alcohol was only allowed within the roped off area of tables and chairs.

“I kind of feel like a VIP sitting in here,” one senior remarked about sitting in this separate section. It seemed as though those of age shared this common belief of privilege, because others said similar things. Oktoberfest is the second of two events Salve has allowed the consumption of alcohol at, the first being the Hawaiian Luau in September. So far there have not been complications with this new privilege at on-campus events. From the talk at the tables in Wakehurst, many students are just happy that Salve has become a wet campus and would like it to stay that way.

As the evening went on and moods brightened, a sudden change in music took place. Mutanguha decided to switch up the scene a bit and replace the sound of accordions with a slightly more upbeat hip-hop tempo. The crowd seemed pleased, to say the least. Some students decided to get up and dance. When more followed, a decision was made to move the furniture in front of the stairwell to make room for a “dance floor.”

All in all, Oktoberfest at Salve was a success. Everyone came together and seemed to have a great time. While some hit the dance floor, others sat back and mingled with friends, or casually sipped their beer or wine.