Elgin Community College celebrated the fall season with festivities in the Jobe Lounge on Oct. 27. The Fall Fest, hosted by Student Life, was open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and included pumpkin carving, free snacks and free coffee for anyone who wanted to celebrate.

People were drawn to the event as music filled the lounge as well as the rest of the building. Posters were put at the entrance of Building A, herding people to the celebration. Student Life set the scene with fall decorations and a photo station.

Students and staff stopped by to socialize and enjoy candied apples and gourmet coffee courtesy of Dapper Brews Coffee. Members of Student Life greeted people at the head table where they could pick up free pumpkins and carving kits. They were encouraged to join the pumpkin carving contest to showcase their creations.

Santiago, a crew member of Dapper Brews Coffee, said he had a busy yet fun day as he worked at the event.

“There has been a huge turnout for the students this year,” Santiago said. “My favorite part is just interacting with all the students and the customers and just having a good conversation.”

People enjoyed their coffee while working hard on their pumpkin creations. Throughout the lounge, people were sitting all around, laughing, talking and making new friends. Members of different clubs showed up together, including members of The Gamers United Club.

Liam, a first-year ECC student and member of Gamers United, said that he enjoyed the event because it was important to have opportunities to find new people and make more connections on campus. He said the event gave students a chance to get to know one another.

For the entire length of the event, people stopped by to converse and grab their share of snacks. They took pictures at the photo station, decorated paper goodie bags and tried their hands at pumpkin carving. The Fall Fest ended the month of October and gave everyone a chance to enjoy the fall season.