This Saturday, one of the most iconic events of the year took place. The Hunt, allegedly the quintessential New Jersey fall event, is a horse race preceded by a huge tailgate in Far Hills which attracts huge numbers of college students from surrounding schools. Being from New England, this was my first time going, so I wasn’t sure how the events of the day were going to play out. Here are my expectations of the whole event vs. the reality of what occurred:
1. Seeing horses
One would think that, since this is supposed to be a horse race, going to the hunt would mean spending most of the day sitting and actually watching horses run around the track. However, most people that go don’t actually end up seeing a single horse, as everyone is too busy tailgating with their school.
2. The audience
What would seem like an event that only attracts college-aged people actually brings in a huge variety of people, from freshmen in high school to middle-aged adults.
3. Staying at your school’s plot
I expected to only stay at the Lehigh plot with people that I know, but the reality is that, at a certain point, people begin to wander around and go to other schools’ and family’s spots as well. By the end of the day, most people are merged into one massive tailgate.
4. Sticking only with your close friends
In the beginning, most people mainly stick with their friends that they know well. By the end of the event, however, most people have met so many people from both Lehigh and different schools that they didn’t know at all before the day.
Overall, The Hunt did not disappoint; it was definitely a unique event and a nice change of scenery from both my hometown and from Bethlehem. I would definitely recommend attending- this day is not one to be missed.