Celebrating fall Asbury Style By Courtney LeMay Copy Editor I was surprised by how many people were there. That’s what first caught my attention. “This many people are here to eat goat!?” But as I adjusted to my surroundings, I saw the attraction of this party. I mean, who doesn’t enjoy a cookout? The sounds of excited students enjoying the clear skies and pleasant weather soon called me to join in; the smell of a warm campfire beckoned me further into the yard. I had prepaid for tickets (a nice touch, I thought; it kept me from accidentally spending that $5 on some late-night Taco Bell), so I fought my way through the line—and here by “fought” I mean “walked calmly to the front of that table”—to receive the 12 tickets I had reserved. With 12 tickets, I was told, I could do every event once: from enjoying fall sweets to navigating the infamous box maze to posing for a snapshot or two with a real live dead zebra, or at least said zebra’s skin. Yes, this was what I had been missing out on all along, having never attended WGM’s annual Goat Roast. How
empty my life must have been before all of this! But in all seriousness, the goat roast proved to be quite the experience (but a good experience, nonetheless). From my first bite of goat stew—hey! Who put all these vegetables in here?—I became a fan. Granted, I felt like an actual goat trying to chew the roasted one, but even the roasted goat liver had a nice flavor…for liver, anyway. Desiring something a little more on the delectable side, however, I soon found myself in pursuit of cheesecake. With the option of three different flavors of Cheesecake Factory cheesecake for the price of four tickets ($2) a slice, it was hard to go wrong. I settled on the dulce de leche, leaving other attendees to partake in the heavenly goodness that could only be white chocolate raspberry and some kind of Godiva-sponsored double chocolate cheesecake. Although I did not get a chance to crawl and claw my way through the box maze, I did get to take a peek inside what I was assured was a top-notch two-story labyrinth of cardboard. I settled for the less claustrophobic route, where I could enjoy at least a small portion of the maze from the wide-open spaces of the WGM basement via video camera. I was not the only one staying
on the television side, either. Beside this maze-viewing station was my favorite part of the night: the photo booth. What can I say? I’m a sucker for, uh, tribal outfits? Ok, maybe not. But I did find the many African accessories to make a great group picture—and for only two tickets, who could say no? They had spears and bows and shield and robes and even what Shannon Hughes assured me was a wooden mustache. Another big hit was the caramel apple station. Apples waited longingly for their caramel toppings—or something like that—while dozens of students waited patiently for their turn. I was too impatient, so I carried on, soon discovering coffee (free) and hot apple cider (two tickets) inside. I wandered around the yard once more, watching the more energetic students take on one another at the volleyball court while still more attendees of a competitive nature played corn hole nearby. I took one last look around the decorated party before my homework called me back to reality—but I couldn’t help but remember what a pleasant roast it had been. Well, except from the goat’s perspective.
Photo by Annie Burnham Freshman Ben Marchál prepares the goat.
“From my first bite of goat stew—hey! Who put all these vegetables in
Photo by Aaron Holmes Clockwise from left: Bryan Hershberger, Jason Rueger, Doug Hershberger, Anna Leon and Austen Broome play in the live band.
here?—I became a fan.” Courtney LeMay
Photo by Aaron Holmes Sophomore Mary Bennett savors a caramel apple.
Photo by Matt Poole Lisa Darrough, Melissa Landon, Lilly Armstrong and Lucas Rohrer reunite at the Goat Roast.
Photo by Aaron Holmes Junior Hope Tellifero prepares to serve a volleyball at WGM’s outdoor sand court.
Photo by Aaron Holmes Cesia Anaya tosses a corn hole bag.
Photo by Aaron Holmes Stuart Forrister samples the goat stew.
Photo by Annie Burnham Ben Steury, front, and Joshua Friedeman serve goat to guests.