Occidental Student Leadership, Involvement, & Community Engagement (SLICE) brought students back in time Oct. 24 on the Academic Quad with the Old Market. Occidental’s own Renaissance Fair, the Old Market, was organized by SLICE Involvement Program Coordinator Noemi Justino-Ruiz (junior). The event featured a student craft fair, face painting, dancing and axe-throwing.
According to Alex Mincone (sophomore), the stand-out activities at the Old Market were the axe-throwing and the dance circle facilitated by the Folk & Historical Dance Troupe members, professors Alan Knoerr and Hector Camarillo Abad. Mincone said the axe-throwing looked harder than it actually was, and he ended up having a great time.
“My friend and I both ended up hitting the target,” Mincone said. “It was a blast.”
Mincone said he learned a Renaissance dance where dancers lock hands and go around in a circle together. Mincone said dancing with others after the axe-throwing was the perfect combination of activities.
“It was nice to connect with community members through dance,” Mincone said. “These events and activities provide a space to connect with more people in the [Occidental] community and, above all, relax a bit and have some fun.”
Phia Green (senior) was a vendor at the Old Market and sold their crochet creations. According to Green, SLICE has hosted craft fairs in the past, and they have been selling their artwork at SLICE fairs since their sophomore year. However, they said this event was unlike previous on-campus fairs because of the sheer number of students passing their table.
“Selling at these events [is] really fun, especially when the campus knows about it beforehand,” Green said. “These craft fairs have helped my business grow so much, and I hope they continue to happen.”
Green said, despite the decent turnout, they did not think many people knew about the fair before stumbling upon it between classes or during lunch. Green said they thought the promotion could have been a little better, but is still very thankful to sell at events like the Old Market.
“Overall, the fair had good foot traffic [being] on the quad rather than in front of the cooler,” Green said.
Sara Tina Kazemi (senior) also sold crafts at the Old Market, and it was not the first time she had been a vendor at a SLICE craft fair. Kazemi said while she thought the turnout was lower than other SLICE events she has attended in the past, she still had a good experience.
Green said they really hope SLICE hosts more events like the Old Market because students always seem to appreciate non-academic events on campus.
“Most of the ‘fun’ events [get] more attention from students, especially when there are free activities, like axe-throwing,” Green said. “Ensuring students know about it is another game.”
Kini Clement (sophomore) attended the event with a group of friends and said she just happened to see the Old Market taking place after class and decided to check it out. Clement said she was unaware of it earlier in the day, so it was a pleasant surprise.
“I loved the entire experience, and my favorite part was the face painting,” Clement said. “I wish they did it once a month.”
Kazemi said the axe-throwing was very popular and knew several of the people who partook. Kazemi said, like Clement, she enjoyed the face painting the most.
“I did really enjoy the event and hope to engage in more events and craft fairs in the future,” Kazemi said via email.
Mincone said he enjoyed the fact that the event was actually a surprise to him after class.
“Things can get a little hectic during the week,” Mincone said. “It’s nice to have something to balance out schoolwork [with]. To me, these events are a reminder that things don’t always have to be so serious.”
Contact Anna Beatty at beatty@oxy.edu
