A record number of 300 students and guests left behind their frustrations, wear and tear of life as they flocked to the Agricultural Research and Education Center (AREC) in the Beqa’a Valley for AREC Day on May 16, 2011. This year’s fun-filled AREC Day featured lots of interesting games, a student poster exhibition, an artsitic bag and cloth display, and delicious multi-cuisine refreshment selection that also included an oriental tent where fragrant Turkish coffee was served.
The students thoroughly enjoyed the festivities and fresh air in the green field of hay. A special folk dance group from Baalbeck performed a traditional Baalbaki wedding and danced the traditional dabkeh along with their horses.
The day began with an appetizing free breakfast of manakeesh, sandwiches, croissant, and donuts and was later followed by a lunch of barbecued chicken, baked potatoes, salad, hummus, fruits, and refreshments. Games varied from fierce tug-of-war competitions between students and professors/males and females, to chicken and sack races, egg tossing and ended with a basketball tournament between students.
AREC day was organized by the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences (FAFS) and AREC (faculty, staff and students) and sponsored by FAFS, the Office of Student Affairs, Miqdadi, Wilco, Pepsi, Wooden Bakery, Dunkin Donuts, Nay water and Al Baba sweets. Among the participants, were FAFS alumnus Mohamad Msheik, on behalf of Miqdadi (AMC), FAFS alumnus William Boutros, Owner of WilCo Company and Dean Nahla Hwalla, in addition to AUB students and their families, professors and staff.
Everyone was full of praise for this year’s AREC Day, particularly its excellent organization, thrilling games, the traditional Baalbaki folk dance, and the high quality of the food. Merit goes to the coordinators who rendered AREC Day 2011 a successful and memorable event. The coordinators for this year’s event were: FAFS-AREC Committee members (Drs. Abiad, Kassaify, Tharwat Haddad, Chaired by Dr. Haidar), AREC students and AREC Manager Nicolas Haddad, who superbly co-organized and managed the influx of crowds into AREC and prepared and served lunch without a single mishap.
In a Nutshell, it was one jolly good day which makes you wonder what does AREC Day 2012 hold for AUB?