Anyone up for an Apple Bash? We’ve heard of Monster Mash, Punkin Chunkin, and Oktoberfest, and if Institute of Applied Agriculture (IAA) students have their way, Apple Bash will become an annual fall event on the University of Maryland College Park campus.
IAA student Jake Reeves first mentioned the idea of an Apple Bash during the cider toast celebrating the IAA Alumni apple tree planting ceremony. “Sure,” said Reeves a second-year Golf Course Management major and member of the tree-planting team, “as the tree grows and we harvest the apples, we should celebrate each year.”
Reeves and his classmates, Andy Bauer, Gabe Gammill, and James Halley planned the ceremony to celebrate the success of the 2014 graduating class. Upon graduation, the IAA class of 2014 donated funds to purchase a tree to be planted on the University of Maryland College Park campus, which was designated as an arboretum and botanical garden in 2008 by the American Association of Public Gardens.
“The tree adds to the diverse arboretum that we have here on campus,” said Bauer. “This tree, though, is more than just any apple tree, it is a symbol; just like our alumni class, this tree will grow, flourish, and continue to give.”
Julia Thome, a member of the class of 2014 tossed the first golden shovel load of soil on the tree’s roots and thanked the current students for planning the event. The apple tree, which was planted next to the Jull Hall where the IAA is housed, is the first of the apples trees that will eventually become an orchard. Once the orchard is established, an annual Apple Bash is soon to follow.
