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There was something for everyone at Georgia Gwinnett College’s recent Grizzlyfest. The annual celebration has grown in recent years, with engaging events and activities during the week that led up to the Saturday homecoming. Events during Grizzlyfest week included student-centered activities such as a Sneaker Ball, a registered student organization competition, a lip-sync contest, campus cook-outs, at-home Grizzly men’s and women’s soccer games and a college pep rally, just to name a few.

During the week, marketing major Jasani “Golden” Byrd of Athens was crowned homecoming king and business major, Nadia Aganifor of Grayson was named homecoming queen.

More than 300 students, alumni, faculty, staff and friends attended the Oct. 21 celebration, which was kicked off by GGC President Jann L. Joseph and Lawrenceville Mayor David Still. The event, featuring a “Haunted Carnival” theme, began with a Parent and Family Breakfast highlighted by a contest that mimicked the popular “Family Feud” television show. 

The day continued with student entertainment, carnival games and food, arts and crafts, a rock-climbing wall and more. A demonstration of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” dance added to the spooky fun. On the other side of campus, the Atlanta Cricket League was on hand to play an exhibition game on the college’s intramural fields and Joseph joined the fun demonstrating her skills as she batted balls on the field. 

One of the most popular events of the day was the Deans Chili Cook-off, where deans of GGC’s schools and divisions put their culinary talents to the test, attracting votes and donations for their unique creations. The cook-off raised more than $2,400 for the GGC Fund.

This year, School of Science and Technology Dean Dr. Chavonda Mills’ “Haunting Harvest” chili and cornbread took first place with the most funds raised via a crowd voting system, with School of Education Interim Dean Dr. Derek Stone and School of Business Dean Dr. Tyler Yu following closely behind. 

School of Health Sciences Dean Dr. Diane White snagged the coveted first-place best-tasting chili trophy for her vegetarian creation. Mills and Yu earned second- and third-place recognition respectively in that category. 

Organizers were pleased at the event’s success and have plans to broaden the celebration in the future.

“We’re always looking for new and exciting ways to engage the GGC community,” said Holly Lisle, GGC’s director of Alumni Engagement. 

View and download Grizzlyfest photos.