By noon on Thursday, April 30, the Wilson Quadrangle was littered with folding chairs, blankets and water bottles: the result of hundreds of students camping out, waiting to purchase a coveted wine tour ticket. In the days leading up to the event, students planned their strategies: getting in line as early as 4 a.m.; bringing bag chairs and snacks; and sitting with a group of friends.
For students, the 15-year Finger Lakes wine tour tradition merits an early arrival.
“We were on the corner of the [Wilson Commons] patio,” senior Aubrey Jaicks said, explaining that she and several friends had arrived at around 4 a.m. to wait. “We brought games and blankets.”
Based on previous years’ ticket sales, Jaicks and her friends—as well as the dozens of other early risers— weren’t completely unreasonable in their ticket-purchasing strategy. But this year, according to Director of Wilson Commons Laura Ballou, the Senior Class Council increased the number of tickets available to 360, the highest amount ever. By the time the original line on the Wilson Quad had died down—at around 10:30 a.m.—there were still over 50 tickets left, and the event didn’t sell out until after 3 p.m.
“We anticipated that they would sell out early, so it was a little surprising [that they didn’t],” Senior Class Council Administrative Chair KatherineWegman said.
Others were surprised, too.
“I rolled up at 2p.m. and got a ticket,” Senior Amanda Brady said, laughing. “I was waiting for other tickets and heard someone else ask if there were wine tour tickets.”
Ballou, speaking rapidly as she prepared to head to ITS to load students on buses, summed up the reality of ticket sales: “I’m glad that the event is really popular,” she said. “Some students are really more in love with the idea of getting up early than the necessity of it.”
Despite the irony of having spent hours waiting in the wee hours of the morning for Wilson Commons to open when tickets were still available at a comfortable mid- afternoon hour, Ballou’s comment seems to hold true.
“We had a lot of fun,” Jaicks said, laughing with two friends as they walked past the clock tower Tuesday morning, heading for the buses. “We were with a lot of friends. I don’t regret waiting.”
Remus is a member of the class of 2016.
