As students gather in the center of the Green, continuing the long-standing Dartmouth traditions of running around and touching the bonfire, they may fail to notice another group standing on the fringes, a group for whom the bonfire has become just as much of a tradition.
They are the local residents, adults and children alike, who take part in the Homecoming activities alongside the Dartmouth students.
"The College certainly does encourage people to come to the events that are public, such as the football game," said Rick Adams, the College's public information manager.
Adams said the College does not advertise Dartmouth Night solely for the purpose of attracting more bystanders.
"There's enough publicity for the alums, and combined with the students, that's enough people," he said.
"We have done news releases in past about Dartmouth Night," Adams added. "Those news releases have served different purposes, especially to tell people when it is happening and that they might want to take a different route around the Green."
Karen Sheldon, a Norwich resident, said she has not yet attended the bonfire, but her 17-year old son has.
"He really loves it," she said.Sheldon said a lot of families that she knows go to the Homecoming game and take their kids to the bonfire.
Enfield resident Bonnie Ladeau is one of the locals who took her children to the bonfire.
"We took the kids to dinner, then dropped them off at the bonfire and dragged them away later," Ladeau said. "Kids don't want their parents with them at the bonfire."
Ladeau said now that her kids have left home, she is simply not interested in the bonfire.
Other locals decide not to go to the bonfire for different reasons.
Norwich resident James Thurber said he has not attended the bonfire for the past few years.
"We think it's more of a celebration for the students," Thurber said.
Thurber said he has gone to Homecoming games in the past, but did not get tickets this year.
Still others said they do not attend Homecoming events because they simply do not care about the College's Homecoming activities.
But Homecoming activities, such as the bonfire, have become immensely popular among Hanover High School students.
"While the bonfire is a tradition for you guys [Dartmouth students], it is also a tradition for students at Hanover High," said Kate Willis, a junior at Hanover High. "We all go and hang out. It's fun and it's something to do."
Many students, including senior Katrina Little, said they really love the bonfire and have a great time there.
"In general, not a lot goes on in the Hanover area, and the bonfire is something huge," Little said. "It's a time where something happens, where there is action, and we don't find that much around here."
"We just meet with each other to watch the people do strange things," senior Jeremy Lacey said.
Some students even join the freshman class in traditions such as running around the bonfire.
The bonfire is not the only Homecoming event Hanover High students attend.
Many students, including Lacey, have found their ways into fraternity parties.
Lacey said he has been able to attend fraternity parties the past two years because his brother is a member of the same fraternity at another college.
"I went just to have fun," Lacey said. "It was a great way to meet a whole bunch of people and hang out."
Others said they enjoyed the party scene.
"It's a party, and it's a lot of fun," Little said. "They [fraternity parties] tend to be a little more active than high school parties."
Still other Hanover High students said they were not particularly interested in the fraternity scene.
"I just haven't had the time or interest to go to the fraternity parties," Willis said. "They're mobbed, and the people are way too drunk."
Willis, who lives in Stratford, said another major obstacle for going to fraternity parties is getting home afterwards.
"As far as fraternity parties are concerned, the College definitely does not encourage or promote them for members of the community," Adams said.
All of the Hanover High students said they do not attend the Homecoming football game because they are not students at the College.
"I'm not a big football freak, and I don't go to Dartmouth, so the Homecoming game is not really my thing," Willis said.
Lacey also said he does not go to the Homecoming game because it is not his school playing on the field.
