Stony Brook’s annual Strawberry Fest hit the academic mall this past Wednesday, along with beautiful weather and long lines. Hundreds of students took a break from traditional lunches and studying for finals to indulge in the twelve tables full of strawberry influenced sweets that brought about a party like atmosphere.

If you didn’t purchase your ticket in advance, $8.25 would get you your pass to a sampling of each food at the festival. Even as late as 2p.m. students hovered around the cashier desk in the SAC lobby hoping to purchase their way into a strawberry paradise. Fresh lemonade, banana bread, smoothies, pizza and even shrimp and rice were all available with some sort of strawberry flavored twist.

One of the things in highest demand was the funnel cake, topped with strawberry sauce and cream. At its longest, the line stretched from the front of the SAC’s main entrance to the middle of Melville Library. It took four members of the campus dining staff working non-stop in an assembly line like fashion to meet demand.

While some students dodged into the nearest air-conditioned building to enjoy their food, most hopped quickly to the next line, eating their food from the last station to pass the time.

Stony Brook’s annual Diversity Day added to the atmosphere as several campus groups set up a stage in the academic circle to perform and play music. The school mascot Wolfie was also on hand, high fiving students and taking part in the day’s events.

According to the Student and Faculty Association, Strawberry Fest is routinely scheduled for the last Wednesday in April as a way to give students a diversion during crunch time. This year it came in the first week of May, putting students that much closer to final papers and projects. “This is unbelievable,” one student said, taking a bite of strawberry. “It’s almost as sweet as the end of the semester.”