Despite wet and muddy conditions, hundreds of Bucknell students packed Sojka Lawn this past Saturday to celebrate the first weekend of the academic year. At the annual Bucknell Refresh, 15 local food trucks offered free and diverse fare, ranging from loaded fries to tikka masala to ice cream treats and cinnamon sugar donuts. The intermittent drizzle failed to deter the crowds as students posed for caricatures, collected Bucknell gear and eagerly awaited their turn to order from the trucks of their choosing.
Queues for the most popular food trucks, including Sinister Mini Donuts and Ground Up Coffee & Smoothies, clocked wait times of over 30 minutes. This popular demand caused Ground Up to sell out of all their smoothie flavors only an hour after Bucknell Refresh began; they were forced to reduce their menu to their iced lattes for the remainder of the event. Students who had spent the larger portion of an hour waiting patiently in the humidity for their own fruit-flavored treat expressed their frustration at the wasted time. Bailey Hansen ’28 remarked, “I was so disappointed. I waited for 30 minutes, and I didn’t get a strawberry banana smoothie!” She was, however, able to enjoy Sinister’s ‘cookies and cream’ mini donuts—a treat that was “well worth the wait.”
The length of the lines on Saturday night, though, is ultimately a testament to the popularity of this annual tradition—Bucknell Refresh serves a broader community purpose, connecting students from every class, major, club and residence hall in pursuit of a collective collegiate interest: free food! There’s nothing like a 30 minute smoothie line to spark a conversation or even a new friendship, especially when the drizzle is starting to become a pour.
Bubble tea and soft-serve cones may be refreshing to the stomach, and the chilly breeze and frigid droplets certainly kept the queuing students awake, even after a long first week of classes. On a deeper level, though, “Refresh” refreshes Bucknellians’ minds, reminding them of the joys of their Bucknell community and college experience. While academics may be rigorous and living away from home is overwhelming, Bucknell will always offer something new and exciting for students to try.
