BY WINSTON HECKT, STAFF WRITER

Current students and alumni alike came together in Murphy Square on Saturday for the Taste of Augsburg, part of Augsburg’s homecoming celebrations where student organizations sell delicious food. The Women’s Hockey team sold walking tacos advertised by a player in a full-body taco costume, and the Softball team sold coffee and donuts. The Women’s Basketball team sold puppy chow — a popular treat among attendees.

Non-sport organizations such as the Music Therapy Club provided music note-shaped sugar cookies, gluten free pumpkin spice whoopie pies, hot apple cider and hot cocoa. One particularly impressive contribution brought by the Chemistry Club was liquid nitrogen ice cream. They crafted the sweet treat right before the customers’ eyes by mixing milk, sugar and heavy cream together. Once those were all combined, it was topped off with a healthy splash of liquid nitrogen.

Homemade fara proved the most popular. The Pan-Afrikan Student Union served sambusas of impressive quality, and the Asian American Student Association provided delectable egg rolls and wontons.

“They are amazing egg rolls — definitely worth the price — they’re huge. Students appreciate the cooked food over purchased food,” Gayle Smaller, Augsburg Department of Residence Life Residence Hall Director, said.

Some of the less popular attractions included St. Olaf who decided to get in on the fun as well. Business was minimal, and their truck was perched as far across the field from Augsburg’s stands as possible. A’viands was also in attendance serving brunch.

“The eggs are above average. Otherwise, it’s your typical cafeteria brunch,” Augsburg resident Karl Bibelnieks said.

Taste of Augsburg had more to offer than just food. There were inflatable obstacle courses for the children of alumni, yard games such as bean bag toss, Frisbee and caricatures. One student organization held a yard sale, and the proceeds were donated to United Way, a Twin Cities-based nonprofit dedicated to providing citizens a pathway out of poverty so they can better their own lives and community.

A painting station offered by Goodspace Murals, an organization that is working with Augsburg to create a mural for the Hagfors Center for Science, Business and Religion, was one of the more unique offerings. Students and alumni had the chance to help decorate the mural using a process called “indirect mural technique.”

“The indirect mural process uses the parachute cloth technique in which the entire mural is painted on sheets of canvas before being installed. This allows Augsburg alumni and students to contribute to the Hagfors center and hopefully give it the energy of Augsburg,” Goodspace Mural artist Greta Mclain said.

Participants painted the first coat for sections of the mural that will then be finished by artists at Goodspace Murals. The mural will be a lasting artifact that Augsburg students and alumni worked together to create. They will be able to visit this art piece for generations to come — a true representation of the spirit of homecoming.

This article first appeared in the Friday, October 20, 2017, Edition of The Echo.