The fair is coming to town tomorrow, and the entire campus is welcome. Named after the dorm’s namesake, Irma Lambein, Irma’s Country Fair will take place from 2-4 p.m. in the Van Dyke Lounge this Saturday, March 17. While Lambein will be hosting the event, the fair will be open to community members and Houghtonites alike.
It will feature a chili cook-off and egg roulette at 2:30 p.m., and a pie-eating contest and potato sack race at 3:00 p.m. Throughout the afternoon there will be popcorn, cotton candy, games, and live animals, including lambs for Lambein. The event will be a laid-back, come-and-go atmosphere, designed to be full of food, friends, and lots of laughter.
A newly conceived idea, this event will mark Lambein’s first major event of the semester, as well as the dorm’s first all-campus event in years. Building resident director Beth Phifer said, “I’m hoping Irma’s Country Fair will be a relaxing, lighthearted space for people to enjoy each other’s company through the activities we’ve put together.”
Phifer and the rest of Lambein staff were excited to put on a program that is more outwardly focused, though it proved to be a step beyond their comfort zone. “It’s a new challenge for this staff to try and create a campus-wide event,” said Jessica Robinson, senior resident assistant of Lambein, “but we really think it’s a great time for Lambein to shine, to show off some of our quirks and bring the campus together through Lambein.”
Event-planning for the whole campus was an exciting opportunity for staff members, encouraging them to think outside their usual Lambein-specific box and create a meaningful event for the whole campus to enjoy.
Raheel Dhingra ‘19, RA and resident event specialist, stated that this event will be different because “everyone and anyone can come.” She was eager to reach out to the rest of campus with the help of lambs, tasty food, and friendly competition. Dhingra commented that “through the Country Fair, Lambein is making itself known.”
Lambein is somewhat infamous for its quiet and internal personality, which serves as explanation for the staff’s enthusiasm in response to Lambein hosting an all-campus event. The Country Fair will be busy, bustling, and centralized in the campus center—a definite step outside of Lambein’s long-standing reputation.
It will be a busy weekend for the campus, with Oklahoma! playing from Thursday through Saturday and CAB’s Oklahoughdown after the Friday showing, but that hasn’t dampened anyone’s spirits. The Oklahoughdown will function similarly to the after-Prism party, supporting the Greatbatch School of Music by connecting to the musical. A.C. Taylor, the director of CAB, remarked that “it’s an added bonus that Lambein is planning a more active “country” program the same weekend as the Oklahoma! shows. CAB [is hosting] a reception that enhances and promotes those existing events rather than compet[ing] with them.” This supportive approach to campus programming highlights the values that Lambein is hoping to foster through the Country Fair and reflects Houghton’s famous love for community.
Phifer said, “The chili cook-off, pie-eating contest, and Jimmy Fallon-inspired egg roulette are some of the more focal elements, but at its heart, Irma’s Country Fair is just a fun way for Lambein to serve the community.” As the week draws to a close, and the weekend begins, Lambein welcomes the entire campus to the Country Fair for a #irmagood time.