Winners of Fall Festival contests named

The Staff Council Fall Festival drew a large crowd to the Barnhardt Student Activity Center Tuesday, where attendees enjoyed free food, music, games and other activities.

As part of this annual tradition, the council sponsors baking and photography contests and a scavenger hunt.

Jackie Thompson, student financial aid, took top honors in the bake-off for her lemon pound cake; Erin Stehmeyer, kinesiology, took second for her “Peachy Upside Down Cake.”

In the photography contest, Penny Stevens, ITS, won first place in the campus category for her photo of the miner statue. In the contestant’s choice category, Jillian Stubbs, OASES, took top honors for her photo of a canal in Venice.

Ten teams competed in the scavenger hunt. They were given clues that led to various campus locations, and at least one team member had to be in a photo for each one. In the event of a tie, teams had to answer trivia questions about the University. This year’s winning team was Crazy CRES Crushers comprised of Katie Abel, Stephanie Burns, Heather Cook, Ann Holt, Michael Lang and Lucian Wilhelm.

Each year the Staff Council designates a community organization to support at the Fall Festival. Autumn Care Nursing Home was the 2013 beneficiary.

Kimberly Crowley, activity director of Autumn Care, along with resident representatives Bessie Cooper and Mildred Kesler attended the festival. Crowley expressed her appreciation on behalf of the long-term care facility.

“We cannot begin to thank you enough for the marvelous time we had at the fall festival on Tuesday,” wrote Crowley. “Special thanks to Celeste Corpening for assisting us in driving directions, parking and table setup. As a long-term care facility, we were pleased to be chosen as this year’s charity of choice. Our two resident representatives were treated like queens that day and left the event full of goodwill toward the entire staff and faculty at UNC Charlotte. They have shared all the details with their friends here at Autumn Care. In fact, they haven’t stopped talking about it.”

Crowley also commended the University for its attention to accessibility. “The parking and sidewalks were user friendly, as well as the entry doors and large spacious bathrooms.”