Members of the Green House performs John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” and the entire crowd joins for the chorus. Photos by Lucy Wimmer (C’20).
By Lang Phillippi and Mary Bullard
Contributing Writers
Arm and Trout is an annual talent show hosted by the University’s Green House, or the Armentrout house, which is named after the beloved Armentrout family. For the first time in the event’s history, Arm and Trout was hosted somewhere other than the picturesque white house next to McCrady Hall. Professor of Geology Bran Potter and his wife Cindy, a teacher at St. Andrew’s Sewanee, hosted students at their home.
On the night of November 8, students gathered in the living room and foyer of the Potter home to enjoy performances from fellow peers as well as faculty. Before each performance, members of the Green House performed skits which caused the audience to erupt with laughter. Students littered the floor and sides of the living room, curling up to create space on the armchairs and rug. Event goers spilled into the hall and kitchen, where Cindy Potter had provided homemade sweets and apple cider.
Caroline Ellis (C’21) reacts to Buck Allen’s (C’21) card trick.
The night opened with a performance from Cindy and Bran Potter, who performed a sentimental lullaby they sung to their boys when they were children. One of the other highly anticipated performances came from Green House member Angus Pritchard (C’22). Pritchard and his band played several country classics along with an original song on the wonders of Sewanee and “Mountain Dew.” Pritchard loved seeing the incredible turnout, saying, “All of the acts were awesome and I’m happy that people were able to make it.”
One of the biggest hits of the night was Visiting Instructor of Biology Dr. Eric Keen (C’08) with his original, educational love songs dedicated to his wife, Emily. The songs ranged from “Galapo-going to the Galapagos Islands” and “Finding our Own Man-itees.” The crowd went wild for Keen’s puns, and the instructor’s wife could be seen peeking in from the crowded door. Keen left the performance area amid cheers and plenty of applause.
Freshman Rego Jaquish (C’23) was one of many students that packed into the Potters’ home that night. In Jaquish’s words, “It was nice getting to hang out and see people on a Friday night in a setting that’s not super crazy or anything. It was just kind of friendly, y’know?”
And Jaquish was correct––there was definitely a strong sense of camaraderie in the air that night. Pritchard and the Green House are especially grateful for the Potters’ hospitality, “The Green House can’t express enough gratitude to the Potters for providing a space to hold the event. They hold a special place in the hearts of all Sewanee students, especially the folks who identify with the Green House community.”
The event ended with the entire Green House performing John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” Both a Sewanee and an Arm and Trout classic, the crowd was more than happy to sing along at the top of their lungs before filing out into the night.