The events of Park’s annual Harvest Fest were enjoyed by Park students on and off campus last week.

Since its beginnings in 1951 as “Homecoming Day,” the university’s fall celebration has evolved over the decades as a way for students to get involved at Park.

This year is only the second time Harvest Fest, the international Talk Like A Pirate Day and the homecoming dance have all been combined into one week and held on campus.

Alumni weekend welcomed all former Park students to attend events such as the Annual Alumni Awards Luncheon and the McAfee Memorial Library.

Events were also held through social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook with the hashtags #ParkHF14 and #IAmAParkPirate to involve off-campus students and provide an additional level of involvement for on-campus residents.

Students were encouraged to tweet or post about the events throughout the week from the Chinese acrobats who performed in the Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel to the temporary tattoos provided at the Thompson Student Center.

The Park Student Activities Board, along with staff members from Student Life, worked since August to put together the event. There has also been more collaboration between the departments on campus to give the festival a well rounded representation of all Park can do.

“We see people from all walks of life, alumni from all different areas, and even community partners and families of students all get to merge together to celebrate what it means to be a Park University Pirate,” said Ben Zibers, coordinator for student engagement. “It doesn’t matter what club you’re a part of, it doesn’t matter what social activities you do or what sport you play. It’s an opportunity for us to get together and engage each other.”

The weekday events ending on Friday with International Talk Like A Pirate Day and the Stone Canyon Pizza social in downtown Parkville all led up to the soccer game and dance on Saturday.

Midday soccer games were played by both the men and women’s soccer teams to represent the school on their home field.

During the men’s soccer game halftime, Park University interim President David Fowler announced the Harvest Fest royalty, who were voted on by the students and selected by committee throughout the week.

The Harvest Fest Dance, previously held off-campus, was held on campus this year at Labor Hall for the convenience of travel and cost. The night’s masquerade theme gave students a fun reason to dress up for the big night.

“It was really fun to get dressed up and hang out with everyone,” said Lindy Moncado, a sophomore in the athletic training program. “I wish I had time for more things during the week but the soccer game and dance were fun.”