The first weekend of April was a very busy one for the Eastern community. Starting on Saturday afternoon, students began to prepare for a glamorous evening. The day had finally arrived for the 2017 Spring Banquet hosted at the Penn Museum, or the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. Traveling from Eastern’s campus to the banquet was a lovely adventure with friends and loved ones while taking in the beautiful sights of the city of Philadelphia.
Banquet guests entered through the museum’s wide gates into a wonderful garden patio featuring a reflection pool with a fountain at its center that directed the eye toward the main staircase. The patio was a unique spot for personal photo shoots with an urban background in display. As the grand doors flew open with guests arriving by the dozen, one received the impression of entering into a mansion’s ballroom.
Immediately I was greeted at the door by SAB staff, and the first thing to catch my attention was the exhibit of Canaan and Israel. Before I began exploring the museum’s sights and wonders, my friends and I went toward the great room located at the center of everything, where the tables were decorated and set and dinner was served. As we sat at our table we could easily admire the ancient Egyptian artifacts on display. The banquet’s food was well worth the wait.
“The food was very tasty, and how it was laid out was nice and professional,” Devon Gaines says. Dinner was self-serve with multiple stations of food near the tables.
“I think that there was more than enough food for everyone to have seconds or even thirds,” Brandon Forino says.
After engaging in social hour over dinner and seeing many friends show off their amazing outfits throughout the night, I decided it was time to travel “around the world in one night.” On the first floor where the banquet was hosted there were three exhibits: Canaan/Israel, Rome and Egypt. The more I explored the Middle Eastern exhibit, the more I was captivated by the knowledge and wisdom of ancient times. I was shocked to discover that the glass industry was born before the Industrial Revolution. Forino had a similar reaction: “I really enjoyed that during the free time we were allowed to wander the museum and look at all the history that surrounds us.” The museum exhibits were a great addition to have this year.
The overall Spring Banquet experience was extraordinary. Forino shares, “I thought that the Spring Banquet was beautifully prepared, especially for the arrangements that needed to be made for everyone.” For example, the actual venue was capable of only holding 300 people, but the Spring Banquet was so popular this year that the Student Activities Board sold 312 tickets.
“I think that everyone really enjoyed the photo booth because it allowed them to bring a little momento back home to remember the night,” Forino adds.
Katherine Thomas 
Will Cunningham 
Lenora Kirkland