Food & Feels with Friends, hosted by the LGBTQA+ Center, took place at Waldos & Company (Photo courtesy of Waldos & Company)
By Danielle Sicotte, Staff Writer
On the evening of Sunday, Jan. 27, a group of people equipped with poems braved the cold and ventured out into downtown Gettysburg bound for Waldo’s & Company.
There, they attended “Feast & Feels with Friends” sponsored by the college’s LGBTQA+ Center from 5:00-7:00 p.m. to share and listen to poetry composed by themselves and their peers.
As they filed in, everyone was treated to a Waldo’s drink and offered a wide selection of snacks, including finger sandwiches.
One attendee, Sam Shourds ’22 was especially moved by the food options, “I really enjoy the food. It was something different and a good experience.”
Maybe it was something in the food, but after a bit of sampling the snacks, everyone was cheerful and talking to each other.
Another attendee, Emily Dalgleish ’22, remarked, “There’s lots of fun people here, and this is a really cool and fun space.”
Waldo’s did seem to be the perfect spot for such an event providing a natural easy-going atmosphere. After an hour of people stuffing themselves with good food and getting acquainted with the others at the event, the first of four performers took to the stage.
Everyone listened attentively to Randy Feeley ’21 who shared his poem, “Untitled” portraying his difficulties with his identity. Following Randy was Steph Osman ‘22 who shared her poem which was also “Untitled” and detailed her struggles with her self-image.
A short musical act was performed by a trio — Kylie Mandeville ’21, Aisha Royer ‘21, and Anna Perry ‘21 — who sang “My Eyes Are Green (‘Cause I Eat A Lot of Vegetables)” about jealousy.
To wrap up the night, Alyssa Mendoza ’22 shared her poem that had not yet been named about the difficulties of accepting change.
After a snapping ovation for all of the performers, the night came to a close and left everyone inspired, empowered, and maybe even with a new friend.
