Students gathered on Manning Street to support off-campus houses.
Courtesy | SAB
Last weekend, the seemingly incessant spring rain took a break just long enough for Chargers to enjoy the annual Taste of Manning event hosted by Hillsdale’s Student Activities Board. Despite a less than favorable forecast, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, the skies cleared, allowing students to stroll between Manning Street residences sampling everything from classic desserts like gooey butter cake – a local St. Louis favorite – to more creative dishes like breakfast kabobs consisting of fruit and waffles on a stick, served up by their classmates.
With Manning Street blocked off to traffic from River to Fayette, culinarily curious students from every corner of campus enjoyed not only the many food offerings but the spirited social activities, which included corn hole in the middle of the street and live music from Lodge’s covered porch, a location chosen by SAB members anticipating inclement weather. The food, games, music, and lively atmosphere gave the unexpectedly mild afternoon a real festival vibe.
Freshman Daniel Doyle and sophomores Matthew Byrne, Isaac Green, and McKayla Faust dazzled attendees with their vocal stylings and contributed to the celebratory atmosphere.
For the uninitiated, Manning Street is a coveted address for upperclassmen seeking off-campus housing. The block comprises student-occupied dwellings whose creative names, including “Graceland,” “Fratican,” and “Waffle House,” are nearly as fun as their residents. The houses are often handed off to friends at the end of each academic year, and there’s a strong sense of social cohesion among each year’s occupants as they begin the journey of adult life together.
“I went to Taste of Manning because it was a great way to see how off-campus culture thrives. The food was delicious, and the atmosphere was very friendly,” said sophomore Abby Idstein, who attended the event with a group of friends.
But Taste of Manning isn’t just an annual food festival. It’s a much-anticipated culinary competition. Residents enjoy sharing their cooking skills, and attendees sample each abode’s offerings and then vote on the winner. Jars labeled with the houses’ names are set up, and each student drops a SAB-provided marble in the jar of the house that prepared the tastiest dish. This year, the voting process was enhanced by charming arrangements of tulips and baby’s breath, which added some springtime flair.
Senior Dan Harmon, a resident of Fratican, served butter cake made by fellow seniors Ashtyn Harms, Carson Brown, and Charlie Kippley.
“It’s just nice to know that something we did here at Fratican is also making campus really happy,” Harmon said.
Sophomore Phoebe VanHeyningen, a member of SAB’s creative team, said there was a great turnout, and she was happy with how the event went.
“There were people playing cornhole, sitting in front of Lodge enjoying the music, walking up and down the street, sitting at the tables, talking to everyone on Manning,” VanHeyningen said. “I think it brings two sides of campus together really well because people who wouldn’t normally meet the people who live on Manning end up going and talking to new people. And I think bringing people together is what SAB is really about.”
At the close of the afternoon, as the clouds began to gather again, Harbor’s pork and shrimp dumplings emerged as the clear winner.
Harbor’s prize? A year’s worth of bragging rights.
One could say that the real win was the fact that the event was held at all, given the threat (and historical precedent – Taste of Manning was canceled last year due to poor weather) of another rainout. In that respect, every participant and attendee left that day a winner.
