As Covenant College has passed the halfway mark of this unusual fall semester, halls have become more and more creative in keeping their traditions alive in safe ways. Brethren, a hall in Founders, had an outdoor hall date that involved frog-catching and a bonfire. Maclellan/Rymer halls Rowan and Suburbs carried on their brother-sister hall event traditions by playing a campus-wide game of Capture the Flag.
Fourth North has a tradition that was recently started a few years ago of going apple picking in Dunlap, Tennessee, which they were able to continue this fall.
Photo by Joshua McDonald
In late September, Fourth North made reservations to Wheeler’s Orchard & Vineyard in Dunlap. About an hour away from Covenant, Wheeler’s Orchard sits comfortably atop Fredonia Mountain. The orchard has over 20 different kinds of apples to harvest, as well as a vineyard full of seedless and processing grapes. It is a sustainable orchard, focused on keeping the land and the crops healthy.
Fourth North drove through the mountains full of leaves beginning to be dusted with fall colors, blasting Ben Rector and One Direction through the speakers of their separate cars. Upon arrival there was an entrance fee and a short tour of the orchard. Then the apple picking commenced.
Rebecca Dillon ’23 said, “I really liked doing something with the hall off campus. It was a bonding activity that was out of the context of Covenant.”
Apple picking allowed the hall to escape their schoolwork for a while and simply become a group of friends. Mally Bright ’23 especially liked spending time with her hall in the outdoors. She said, “I liked bonding with the dogs and the goats at the orchard—the hall as well, but especially the dogs.”
Anna Fikkert ’22, the RA of Fourth North, said, “It was one of the first events that we got to do together as a whole hall, and furthermore, it was off campus. So just getting away from the everyday stuff and school was helpful to be able to relax and get to know each other better.”
Apple picking at Wheeler’s Orchard was a perfect way for Fourth North to forget the troubles of this semester for an afternoon and simply enjoy each other’s company. It allowed them to consume a great deal of apple cider, apple dumplings and apple pie. They also met a wide variety of cute animals, including some sheep shrouded in thick wool and goats with eyes that glinted mischievously as they eyed the hall’s baskets of apples.
Many halls have had to continue to get creative to keep encouraging hall community. Evan Hokrein ’23 from Brethren Hall commented on Fourth North’s apple picking: “For me, it was less about the apples and more about the friends. The apples were just an added bonus!”