Hello Vassar!

The past few weeks I’ve been busy working on the Arlington Street Fair and Meet Me in Poughkeepsie. The VSA is committed to engaging with Poughkeepsie in a meaningful way. Through events such as the Arlington Street Fair and Meet Me in Poughkeepsie, we hope to inspire students to get off-campus more frequently and appreciate the community we live in.

This year Meet Me in Poughkeepsie will be held on October 9th! Registration officially opened Wednesday, so don’t forget to sign-up for your favorite event. I’ve compiled a list of my top 5 events for this year. All of the MMiP activities are AMAZING, however, the 5 picks I’ve chosen found non-traditional and creative ways to interact with Poughkeepsie. Here are the highlights:

1) 2012’s Baking with Nilda—Rather than taking students into Poughkeepsie, 2012 is bringing Poughkeepsie to us. You know those great cookies everyone loves in the Retreat? Well Nilda herself is coming to Vassar to give a special interactive baking lesson.

2) Frankenstein’s Fortress with Vassar Filmmakers—The Vassar Filmmakers are taking students on a behind-the-scenes tour of Peter Wing’s haunted house. Peter will be giving students a lesson in setup/prop construction and special effects. I chose this event because the show is extremely hands-on and interactive, plus the Haunted house as been featured on Martha Stewart Living and CNN!

3) Fun on the Farm with Hunger Action—The Farm is a part of Vassar that is often underappreciated. In recent years, the Poughkeepsie Farm Project and other community gardeners have primarily used the farm. This MMiP project will give students an opportunity to appreciate a part of the Poughkeepsie community that engages with the Vassar community on day-to-day basis.

4) Meet me with the People (Hosted by the Vassar Christian Fellowship)—This year the Vassar Christian Fellowship is taking students into Poughkeepsie to provide house and yard repairs for financially disadvantaged families. I chose this event because it takes place within the city limits of Poughkeepsie. It’s also one of the only volunteer projects hosted this year.

5) A Visit to Masjid Al-Noor & Spice Aroma with the Vassar Islamic Society—Ever been interested in Islam? Want to learn more about the culture? Well now you can. The Vassar Islamic Society will be taking students to Masjid Al-Noor for a conversation on Islam with Imam Muhammad Asil Khan and mid-day prayers. Students from all faiths are welcome to participate.