For over a decade, Lecturer in Environmental Science and English Michael Strickland has overseen the planning and execution of the festival, though he credits the students from his class and various organizations for the success the Strawberry Festival experiences each year.

“It’s all students,” Strickland said. “Except for me, there aren’t really any other faculty involved. It’s my class, the Garden Studio class, and the Elon Community Garden club.”

The cohesive relationship between Strickland’s Elon Community Garden class and partnering organizations allows for a successful event. Organizations such as the Eco-Reps, the Office of Sustainability and the Sierra Club regularly partner with the Elon Community Garden. In addition to the strawberries, Elon Dining provides the highly anticipated and coveted ice cream.

Maddie Eaton ’23 is no stranger to the Strawberry Festival. Throughout her four years attending Elon, she’s tried her best to participate in the event every spring. She views the festival as the ideal way to unwind and relax before finals.

“This is the perfect event to use as a study break. First of all, it’s outside, you get to hang out, get some sunshine, and it’s really good for you to be in nature, especially during stressful times such as this,” Eaton said.

Brynn Creasman ’23 said she thoroughly enjoys attending the festival since it provides a space for students to be outside and with nature.

“The Strawberry Festival allows students to learn about the gardening club while enjoying the yummy ice cream and strawberries. It’s a space to come out and breathe for a minute amidst the chaos.”

When asked how he feels towards the event turnout, Strickland said, “It’s truly gratifying. I love doing this, and for my students, it’s one of their favorite things to do. They live for putting this event together, and when you see this kind of turnout, all the hard work put into this event is worth it.” Each year, he asks the students whether they want to continue hosting this event, and every year the response is the same: absolutely.

This spring was Jayla Martin-Beasley’s ’24 first time attending the festival and working the plant adoption table. From a student’s perspective, planning the event is a complex matter made possible using a manual containing information from previous festivals. This manual is updated annually and covers what worked, what didn’t and how the event could improve for next year.

“One of our final assignments is to add something new to it to make it easier and better and to improve upon it for next year,” Martin-Beasley said.

When asked what she hopes will happen for this event, Martin-Beasley said she hopes the event informs students who haven’t heard of the Community Garden.

“The spot is perfect for students who are between classes and have 30 minutes or an hour to sit, relax and enjoy the garden and be one with nature,” she said. “I hope awareness of the garden as a destination spot on campus to go and relax.”

Many Elon students could easily recognize Carter for his unique pastime, lassoing. or as he calls it, “ropin’.” It wouldn’t be uncommon to see him lassoing a couple of stacked Adirondack chairs in the Historic Neighborhood. Though he recently used the downtown Elon Maker Hub’s resources to assemble a custom rope & steer, so nowadays you’ll see him use that instead of the chairs.

His love for lassoing originates from living in Western North Carolina, where he would ride on horseback rounding up cows for various purposes during the calving season. Anytime he practices, an audience of students, faculty, staff and families on tour watch as he goes about his business. Carter is open to �þ��� fellow students how to properly use a lasso, as most people have only witnessed lassoing through movies or TV shows.

“Roping is like a hidden gem. The community and the people that like doing it are amazing. It’s such a tight-knit community. Everyone is out there cheering you on,” he said.

Carter’s competitive nature at a young age led him to competitive roping. During that time, he won several belt buckles, which are given as accomplishments in the “cowboy” world, for having the best time. He used the skills learned on the farm to improve his technique, becoming a force to reckon with in the rodeo.

“When you’re in a rodeo setting, you practice and practice all the time, and you’ll be getting better day after day. Doing something new, learning something new and reinforcing those skills that by the time you get into the arena, and you get in that shoot, you need to leave all thought, and it should be just muscle memory.” That competitive nature seems to run in the family as Carter’s cousin competes in bull rides.

“There’s a lot more fame when it comes to that. I mean, I can name bull riders left and right, but when it comes to ropers, it’s a little more difficult,” he said.

Transitioning from high school to college can be personally and academically challenging for most first-year students. But that adjustment has been relatively smooth for Carter. Before his acceptance, he toured several other institutions before being convinced by his step-grandad, an Elon alumnus, to tour the school.

The weather was poor during his tour, but instead of ruining his experience, it provided a different perspective for viewing Elon. He believed if he could fall in love with a school on tour in inclement weather, then it was meant to be. “If I can love this place when it looks like this, imagine what it looks like when it’s bright and sunny, and people are out. That’s what gravitated me to attend Elon.”

Whenever Carter isn’t roping, he enjoys knitting beanies, gloves and scarves. Recently, he completed a full blanket for his dorm room, and whenever a friend needs a warm hat, he’s always ready to knit. Carter’s mother would occasionally knit similar items and one day when he didn’t have much happening, he sat with his mom and began learning.

Throughout the fall 2022 semester, Carter frequently drove to his grandmother’s farm in Yanceyville to visit and help her prepare the farm to sell. He would always look forward to his grandmother’s renowned pork chops. It was a combination of how his grandmother prepped and cooked the meat that made it so special. “She’d throw it on the cast iron and add a lot of seasoning to it,” said Carter, who still drives to his grandmother’s house hoping to get a serving or two. “Every bite was something new and while it was like chewing a ball of rubber, the flavor was what made it worth chewing,” he added.

Whenever he returned to his residence in Smith, Carter said, “They’d see me in my chaps, covered in dirt and mud. I probably didn’t smell too good.” His floormates are continuously captivated by the sight.