By: Mia Ambroiggio ‘26 MEM
Students, faculty, and neighbors gathered under the autumn sun this past Saturday for Yale Forests’ annual Harvest Festival. Carpools of students traveled up the state to northeastern Connecticut to reach Yale-Myers Forest, Yale’s 7,840 acres of forestland that stretches across the towns of Ashford, Eastford, Union, and Woodstock, Connecticut. YMF provides a space for students and faculty alike to learn onsite, conduct research, and one special time a year, gather together to celebrate the abundance of the land and changing of the seasons.
As folks trickled in, the potluck table began to populate with homemade dishes to share while students settled in — some lounging in lawn chairs, others sprawling out on blankets. Students who camped told stories about the previous night to their arriving friends, which included preparing the annual pig roast (a Harvest Festival tradition) and a dance party deep in the woods.
Students pair up and participate in timber games. Photo: Slade Sinak
This year’s Harvest Festival featured its beloved traditions: apple cider donuts hanging from the beams of the camp kitchen porch, a live string band, and a generous, ever-growing potluck spread. Under the main pavilion, hundreds of pounds of apples were pressed into fresh cider. Visitors gathered around with mugs and bottles, enjoying the crisp drink on-site or bottling some to take home. Timber games drew a crowd, including the crosscut saw — where students took turns sawing in pairs, always discovering it was harder than it looked — and axe throwing. Others carved pumpkins, painted faces, and met four oxen, who demonstrated hauling timber across the grounds.
Harvest Festival is one of YSE’s most precious rituals — gathering together under the warm autumn sun, connecting with community both fresh and familiar, and sharing food, cider, and camaraderie. In the midst of a busy semester and demanding schedules, the Harvest Festival offers a moment of pause, a space to reflect and celebrate community, and a reminder of the community we’ll carry with us after we leave YSE.
Participants take turns using the cider press. Photo: Slade Sinak
