Mocktails Are Back in Full Swing
In October of 1976, Chatham students began an “October Fest” tradition which included a weekend of fall fun, music, and mocktails (aka non-alcoholic cocktails). While this event changed over the course of time (including being named Fall Fest), and components shifted, the inclusion of mocktails as a highlight of the weekend remained strong.
While we no longer hold the Fall Fest, Chatham’s annual mocktail event has continued over the past 45 years and is coming back this year in Anderson Dining Hall from 5-7 pm on Thursday, October 28th after a 2020 hiatus due to COVID-19 protocols. This year’s mocktail tasting and competition will be held by the Chatham Activities Board (CAB) and is being run by board members Ryan Tahbaz ‘22 and Michaela Delauter ‘24. We spoke with them to learn a bit more about this Chatham tradition.
Michaela Delauter ‘24 (she/her)
Ryan Tahbaz ‘22 (he/him)
Although the host of the mocktail competition has changed hands over the years, the Chatham Activities Board is ready to carry on the tradition. “There’s four of us on the activity board and we really just plan the social engagement events on campus for students. We focus a lot on using input from students to form our events” said Michaela. Ryan added that CAB, “ended up taking on this role because CSG disbanded their Traditions Committee and Mocktails is a tradition that we see a lot of engagement out of. So, we really wanted to keep that alive.”
For those who haven’t been at Chatham when this tradition has run, he explains that it is a competition between student organizations for who can make the best mock cocktail. Students vote on their favorites and winning organizations get funds allocated towards their group to hold events. “They’re often made of ingredients that you may not initially want to put together, there have been really good ones in the past but also some pretty interesting ones that probably didn’t come out as intended, but that’s the fun of it.”
The event will be held in Anderson Dining Hall from 5-7 pm on Thursday, October 28th. Alongside the mocktails, Anderson will be serving Halloween dinner with themed foods for the spooky season. “Last year for Halloween they did a neon green glow-in-the-dark mac and cheese. I'm excited to see if that comes back,” says Ryan.
Keeping in line with continuing Chatham traditions after a year of shut-down, CAB is also planning to hold Candlelight and the Holiday Ball in November. Michaela noted that a big goal of CAB was to bring important events like these back to re-vamp campus life. Ryan added that “Our goal within the organization is to make Chatham events even more engaging. It’s not easy work but we are determined and we try our hardest each event to make sure every individual there has a good time.”
Students eye up a mocktail creation at the event in 2018
Students came in costume to the 2018 event
To learn more about events and traditions at Chatham, go here.