One of the strengths of Parks and Recreation is its ability to perfectly call back moments, characters, and entire plot lines. The most memorable example of this is the way Ron's ex-wife Tammy II spontaneously reappears sometimes and fits right into the week's story. We've also seen a dorky accountant who first appeared in Season 2 as a guy who taught classes on Quickbooks at the Rec Center become Ben Wyatt's biggest fan almost three years down the road. The townspeople may only make a few appearances per season, but they build the world of Pawnee in a way that makes this show really special. Last season also brought back Leslie's teenage nemesis, Greg Pikitis, and her celebration of lady friends and frittatas known as "Galentine's Day." Since Parks and Rec Season 7 will be the series' last, I'm excited to see all the memories that they will be referencing or putting a new spin on. It seems that one of them will be the return of The Harvest Festival in Pawnee, according to recent set photos released by PopSugar.
If you look at the banner behind Leslie and Ben, you can see part of two words that likely spell harvest Festival. "The Harvest Festival" was a major turning point in Season 3, and a memorable episode of the series. It showed the whole team working together, and solidified how newcomer Adam Scott was going to fit into the group. When you look back at the original episode, it's clear why Parks and Rec would want to revisit the event before the series ends.
Ben and Leslie
I think an important part of any burgeoning relationship is when someone else tells you to "get a room," which is exactly what happened after the dorky handshake moment above. At this point in the series, Ben and Leslie's attraction wasn't just apparent to the audience — it was starting to catch on around the office. They're married now with three kids. How exciting will it be to see these crazy kids return to one of their first achievements together after they've come so far?
"Awesome sauce"
This is also where April first told Andy that she loved him. They had only been dating a little while and got married not long after. At the end of the sixth season, they were planning on getting divorced so that they could get married all over again. I don't know how they could ever top April and Andy's "Fancy Party" wedding, but that's another thing that the show could call back.
Lil Sebastian
He may be up in horsey heaven now, but this champion made his debut in the first "Harvest Festival" episode and has made many appearances since, even in spirit. Whether it's a plush animal, a memorial statue, or a hologram, that miniature horse is an important part of Pawnee History and a key element of any Harvest Festival.
Ken Hotate's Curse
Finally, you have to wonder if a return to the Harvest Festival means a return of the Wamapoke Curse. Even if they don't build the festival on Native American burial grounds this time, I guarantee that Joan Calamezzo and Perd Hapley will be on "Curse Watch." This media spin and heap of bad luck was one of the most bizarre problems Leslie Knope has ever had to deal with. Not only were real problems happening, but they were being blamed on a fake problem. It was too funny not to revisit in some way.
Images: Ben Cohen/NBC; Giphy (3); myregularface/Tumblr
