Thousands of Cornellians gathered on the Ag Quad for a picnic following President Elizabeth Garrett’s inauguration on Friday to celebrate their new leader in a festive setting.
The Big Red Marching Band lead the procession of students, faculty, alumni and local residents to the Ag Quad after the completion of the inauguration ceremony on the Arts Quad. There, attendees enjoyed box lunches containing a chicken or portabella mushroom wrap, cole slaw, chips and an apple and lounged on checkered blankets and hay bales, according to a University press release.
The dairy bar’s new ice cream flavor in honor of Cornell’s 13th president — 24 Garrett Swirl — also debuted at the community picnic. The ice cream combines hints of chocolate, caramel and mocha with fudge truffles, and was inspired by some of Garrett’s favorite flavors, according to the University.
Deanna Simons, Cornell’s dairy quality manager, said in a University release that her team blind taste-tested two versions of 24 Garrett Twist. Cornell Dairy prepared 450 gallons of the sweet treat ahead of inauguration day and doled out approximately 5,000 servings.
One tent on the Ag Quad was entirely devoted to a cake made by Wegmans, which was decorated with images of waterfalls, Cornell and Cayuga Lake. The cake was composed of 24 half sheets of cake, took the bakery at Wegmans roughly 25 hours to make and is big enough to serve approximately 900 people, the release said.
The picnic also featured an assortment of desserts made by local companies, including Wide Awake Bakery, Ba-Li Cravings, and Kendra’s Culinary Creations. Wide Awake Bakery caterer Rachel Ostlund, who prepared coconut macaroons, said in the release she was impressed that Cornell “sought out local businesses to feature.”
Student and local groups also performed at the picnic, including the Cornell Klezmer Ensemble, The Touchstones, Chosen Generation Gospel Choir, Cayuga’s Waiters, the Chai Notes, Bakara Kwa gospel ensemble, the Ithaca Gay Men’s Choir and the Latin band Palonegro.