On Sunday, September 17, dozens of Fords hopped onto the bus for the annual apple picking event at nearby Linvilla Orchards (Media, PA) organized by Fords Against Boredom (FAB). After a hectic first two weeks of school, the students enjoyed a reprieve from academic stress in the abundant late-summer sunshine.
“I haven’t been out of campus since arriving at Haverford, and it just felt so happy to get out,” said Sam Berg ’21, who enjoyed his first trip to the orchard. “The apples taste so good because they are fresh. It just feels so different from those you buy in a supermarket!”
Fords wandered between the trees, tasting the ripening apples. Carrying boxes of fruit they picked themselves, some of the students also walked towards the farmer’s market to purchase bags of apple cider donuts to share with their friends back on campus. Others sat on the benches in the square, enjoying the performances from local musicians on the stage and the tempting smells from the food stands nearby as children in face paint ran around and families picnicked on the grass.
It was a close-to-perfect day. However, the Fords did encounter one unexpected hiccup.
“Linvilla Orchards used to be free for everyone to enter, and you needed to pay only when you picked apples,” said Cole Sansom’19, a member of FAB who helped organize this year’s trip. “But this year whoever enters the orchards is charged fees.”
FAB, whose mission is to organize activities that are accessible for all students, was very disappointed by this new policy. However, they came up with a solution for the problem.
“I felt very upset by the policy change, as our activities should be accessible and free to everyone from all economic backgrounds,” said Sansom. “FAB [has since] offered reimbursement for the cost to enter the apple-picking area. We will make sure we pay for the students as we organize this event in the future, and we will stick to our mission statement for all activities we hold.”
Those activities will continue throughout the year, including the upcoming Screw Date, at which the first-years will be randomly paired with one another to enjoy an evening activity, a “First Friday” bus outing to Philly, Oktoberfest, and a trip to the Camden Aquarium.
Photos by Cole Sansom ’19 and Monique Byars ’19.