Weybridge cooks up fresh ideas

Author: Catherine McCarthy

"What am I supposed to do with this trash bag full of cabbage?" asked Weybridge House R.A. Leah Bevis '09 aloud, as she and her other fifteen housemates scurried to put finishing touches on their annual Weybridge Fall Feast this past Friday, Sept. 26. Around her, the house was in full frenzy. Some residents oversaw steaming pots and pans that cluttered the stovetop; others sat cross-legged on the floor slicing tortillas; still others carried tables out to the yard, where temporary tarps had been set up to shield them from the rain.

When six o'clock rolled around, students bold enough to brave the elements trekked down the hill - bowl and spoon in hand - and began to pour into the living room, eager to enjoy the delicious food and welcoming atmosphere, which the Weybridge residents worked so hard to prepare. According to co-RA Samantha Collier '09, they started planning menus and coordinating trips to the Co-op this past Sunday.

"I started making cheesecakes on Wednesday," said Rachel Pentecost '10.5, "The whole process took me about 30 hours...I just hope everyone likes them."

Pentecost's concerns were soon put at ease as the refrain, "You have to try the pumpkin cheesecake!" rose up among the throng of students who - more than 106 strong at the original headcount - angled to fill their bowls with the varied selection of stews, breads, salads, and desserts that adorned the banquet-style tables.

Judging by the diverse gathering of students who crowded together, Collier's projected hopes for this year's Fall Feast seem to have been realized: "This year we wanted to have the feast early to bring people down to the house right away - so they know what and where it is, and that we're not scary."

Collier also mentioned that they held the Feast on Friday this year in the hopes that it could be a more social and festive event. "The rain," she noted, "is all part of the fun."

These changes to the Fall Feast reflect on a small scale the grander evolution of Weybridge House that has been set in motion this year. Though Collier states that Weybridge is, "different every semester based on the group's dynamic," this year they are ready to "take it in a new, exciting direction" in regards to their relationship with both the College and town communities. To do so, Collier and Bevis - along with all the residents of the house - have drawn up a Two Year Plan that outlines the changes they wish to make.

"We often have a reputation for being crunchy, dirty hippies," said Collier; "Instead, we want our house to be a hub of social activity - a meeting place for Middlebury students."

Along with this year's Fall Feast, each member of the house will be responsible for coordinating a social event; live music, parties co-hosted with other social houses ("Gay-bridge," for example), and possibly even a haunted house for Halloween could be in the works.

In addition to these changes to the social image of Weybridge, the house also hopes to make environmental sustainability a more concrete and deliberate goal. According to their Two Year Plan, residents are working with Jack Byrne to improve the house's energy and fuel efficiency, and hope to exemplify the "economic, environmental, and cultural benefits of buying locally."

According to Collier, they have been shopping at the weekly Farmer's Market in Marbleworks in order to support local producers and create connections with the local community.

In addition, Bevis is heading up an initiative this year to foster a relationship between Weybridge House and a local homeless shelter: on a regular basis, the house will cook as they usually do, but instead of eating the dinner themselves, they will eat rice and beans, taking their dinner to the shelter.

"We are trying to reach out to both the Middlebury College community and the local community - and hope to be a bridge between the two," said Collier of the overarching goals of the changing vision of Weybridge House. If the immense success of this Friday's Feast was any indication, it seems Weybridge residents are off to a great start.