Katey Woodruff & Ella Kitchens, Features Editor & Editor-in-Chief
The lively chatter of students and faculty is drowned out by the sounds of Bundo’s rock performance. The clearing, surrounded by a few artful cozy buildings, has been set up with different activities and mismatched seats for people to comfortably converse.
Students, faculty and members of the local community gathered for the Homestead’s Earth Day Festival on April 24. In addition to the student band performance, there was picnic table painting, jewelry and flower crown making, and tours of the residences. They also showed off the growth of their new garden, which will have produce ready for harvest by the fall.
“Sustainability is kind of a core aspect of the Homestead. So, of course, we’re all very excited about Earth Day and want everyone else to have a great time,” said resident Lina McCabe ‘28. “I think events like these are really important, because I feel like a lot of people never really get the chance to come to the Homestead.”
A group of students who live at the Homestead were in the kitchen preparing lemonade, pesto, beans, and fruit salad to serve to the crowd. They were going to serve cookies but a resident chicken, named Jeffery Eggstein, broke into the kitchen and stepped on them, so they were scrapped.
Dr. Anjali Fernandes, an Earth and Environmental Studies associate professor, was hanging around the jewelry-making table. She was there to support her students, some of whom live on the Homestead or conduct sustainability projects there.
“I think the Homestead is a great place and it gives them a unique kind of lifestyle at Denison,” Fernandes said. “It’s on the more sustainable side, but also more challenging in terms of responsibilities. I think it’s a very valid growing and learning experience for students to have.”
At the festival, Fernandes was gifted a handmade pair of clay earrings from a student, Katie Stauderman ‘28. She is a resident of the Homestead and was helping with activities at the event.
“The Homestead is a really chill place,” said Jack Helms ‘26, a student who attended the festival. “People are really friendly and open and it’s a quirky place too. When it comes to things like painting a bench you can see how everybody’s unique personalities are made when they paint what they paint and what they care about.”
While the Homestead currently houses 11 Denison students, it will no longer be a residential option for students starting in 2027, due to a decision made by the university’s administration and division of student life.
“I feel like it’s a really good community for the people here and I would like it to stay available for the people who have found a home here,” said Talia Wright ‘29, another student who attended the festival, about the shutdown.