by InSoo Lee
Staff Writer
Photos by InSoo Lee
On October 25, Sewanee hosted the New Moon Arts and Community Festival for the first time. The Festival was created so the Sewanee community and student body could celebrate artistic talents and community interests in an afternoon/evening street fair and concert series. 
The event was held from 3 p.m. to 1 a.m. at the intersection of Alabama and Mitchell Avenues. After the booths, student/local bands, and a cookout, the headlining bands, Southern Bread Co., Baby in the 90’s, and Uncle Remus performed. According to Bella Lilly (C’17), who was the Assistant Stage Manager for the Festival, the event was put together because “A few people wanted to do a music festival like Sewaneroo in the fall, but with a bit of a different spin on it. We decided that we needed more opportunity for groups and artists to present themselves on campus.” Then, the Green House, the Business House, the Sewanee Angel Fund, and Kiva Zip, the CoHo, the Music House, WUTS 91.3FM, Mountain Top Musicians, SGA, the Gender and Sexual Diversity House, and Sewanee EMS joined together to put the Festival together.
There were many different types of booths that varied from selling pumpkins and jewelry to receiving donations for organizations. One group of students who were selling Mexican treats for a fundraiser for CESL (Cumberland English as a Second Language) were Mary Perez (C’17), Andrea Ortiz (C’17), and Eva Miller (C’17). They were selling Bolitas de Nuez or “nut balls” which are made with Brazilian nuts, ground vanilla cookies and condensed milk for one dollar in order to “fundraise a little money to reward our students for their hard work. We thought it would be nice to buy them some gifts and prizes” according to Perez. Students enjoyed the New Moon Arts Festival, in part because of the many booths. One of the spectators Sandy Milien (C’17), she especially liked the Festival because “there were so many cultural booths such as the Mexican treats.” Another student Ben McKenzie (C’17) “enjoyed the casual way that people from different organizations had a chance to interact with the community in an open environment and to show off their skills as cooks and craft makers.”
McKenzie said, “I thought that it was wonderful that student musicians got the chance to perform in front of their friends and community in such a unique setting. It was incredible to see how much musical talent a small school like Sewanee has hidden away.”