If you were anywhere but at the Ybor campus on Oct. 1, you missed out! The Ybor campus Student Government Association hosted its annual festival as a celebration to welcome the month of October. The rustic styled, brick courtyard was beautifully decorated with stacks of hay, orange pumpkins and multicolored leaves. Generous vendors lined every corner of the courtyard, eager to provide students with free food, fun games, & unique arts and crafts.

  The smell of freshly cooked sausage links and deep-fried potato spirals, filled the air as hundreds of students lined up to pick up their voucher coupons to enjoy a fun filled afternoon of harvest festivities. The delicious food vendors were provided courtesy of the Metz food catering services. Food vendors provided an array of food choices to satisfy the cravings if any student who attended the festival. With food choices readily available to fulfil the dietary needs of all students, ranging from vegetarians to meat lovers. No student left Oktoberfest feeling hungry or unsatisfied!

  The carnival game booths dominated October fest’s entertainment area! A wide variety of carnival games were available to all students who dared to challenge their hand eye coordination or just simply wanted to improve their targeting skills. Eagar students pooled around the games to study the technique of fellow peers and attempt to successfully complete the same games. Music and cheering echoed through the streets of the Ybor city campus, as students rallied together to support fellow peers. There were games for everyone!

  The unique and popular returning vendor was, From Trash to Treasure. Students lined to meet ecofriendly jewelers Magda and Bobbie, who transform items that most would consider trash into fashionable jewelry for men and women. Magda and Bobbie recycle items such as beads, expired gift cards, old hotel room keys, broken bike chains and buttons to create beautiful, one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry to suit any age range. From Trash to Treasure, provided students with the creative freedom to design a custom piece of jewelry as a representation of the individual’s unique style, with options ranging from earrings, necklaces and bracelets available in a variety of styles, colors and materials.

  The variety in vendors present at Oktoberfest, were a perfect arrangement to cater to the diversity of the Ybor campus student body. The Oct. 1 festival, was the perfect combination of foods intended to fulfill everyone’s cravings, fun games to suit students ranging of all competitive levels and handmade, one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry provided by From Trash to Treasure. The Ybor SGA outdid themselves when host this year’s Oktoberfest! The 2014 Oktoberfest, was bigger and better than any of the past and anyone who didn’t attend, missed out.