The College kicks off Homecoming Weekend tonight with the 101st annual Dartmouth Night ceremony.
Members of the College community will hear speeches from College officials, alumni and undergraduates and College songs performed by the Glee Club and the Marching Band.
The evening's festivities begin with a parade, which will start on Lebanon St. at 7:30 p.m., and culminate in the lighting of the bonfire.
College officials, alumni, students and local community organizations will march in the parade.
The oldest class participating in the parade is the Class of 1932, while the Class of 2000 will march after completing the Freshman Sweep.
The Freshman Sweep begins with freshmen in the River residence cluster, works its way across campus, picking up other freshmen, and finally arrives at Crosby St. to join the parade.
Nelson Armstrong, Director of Alumni Relations and 1971 graduate of the College, will preside over the ceremony and open it with a short speech.
This evening will be Armstrong's first year as master of the Dartmouth Night ceremony.
Previously, J. Michael McGean, a former Director of Alumni Relations and 1949 graduate of the College, had been the Dartmouth Night master of ceremonies, according to Senior Associate Director of Alumni RelationsDavid Orr.
After Armstrong speaks, Richard Page, a 1954 graduate of the College, a Trustee of the College and the Chair of the Will to Excel Campaign, will speak.
Orr said the College asked Page to speak because he chaired a very successful capital campaign.
The recently completed campaign raised $568 million dollars for the College, breaking its goal by $68 million.
College President James Freedman will follow Page's remarks and deliver his address to the crowd. Freedman is an annual speaker at the Dartmouth Night ceremony.
Two undergraduates, Kelly Hannigan '97, co-captain of the Field Hockey team, and Brian Larsen '97, co-captain of the Football team, will also speak tonight.
Larsen and Hannigan were nominated to speak by the Dartmouth College Athletic Department.
The DCAD nominates two undergraduate athletes to speak every year, Orr said.
"What makes [Homecoming Weekend] big is who we're playing in football," Orr said.
He said he expects a strong alumni turnout this year.
Last year's opponent, Colgate University, was a non Ivy League team, but this year the football team will face Ivy League rival Yale University.
Despite last year's 100th anniversary celebration of Dartmouth Night, Orr said this year's alumni attendance numbers may be greater than last year's, simply because the opponent is Yale.
"Harvard and Yale ... are the big draws," Orr said. "This may be a bigger draw ... than it was last year, even though there were some special events for the 100th anniversary last year."
Orr said the total turnout, boosted by a large alumni presence, should be strong.
"I expect to be able to look out on the Green when the bonfire is lit, and see close to 10,000 people," he said.
The ceremony will close with the singing of the alma mater and the lighting of the bonfire.
The rain location for the Dartmouth Night ceremony is Webster Hall. The bonfire will burn rain or shine.
