One of Dartmouth's most famous traditions, the construction of the Homecoming bonfire in the center of the Green, begins this morning 8 a.m. and will last until dusk tonight, before it is resumed tomorrow morning.
The Bonfire Committee has assigned the members of the Class of 2001 to build the bonfire -- traditionally the most visible contribution of the freshman class to Homecoming Weekend -- in eight time-slots today and tomorrow.
Freshmen who have signed up with their cluster's representative will build tier after tier in the two-day marathon construction until the bonfire stands at approximately 40 feet high.
In past years, the height in tiers of the bonfire was traditionally equal to the last two numerals in the freshman class year, but for safety reasons, restrictions were imposed effectively capping the maximum number of tiers at 61.
Since then, the freshman class has found creative ways to sneak in extra tiers -- be they constructed of pizza-boxes or tongue-depressors -- in order to reach their number.
The Class of 2001 plan to stack popsicle-sticks -- painted red and glued together to form H's -- to make their bonfire exactly 101 tiers high.
As a safety precaution, freshmen working on the bonfire will either have to bring their student I.D.s to rent the required hard hats or buy them for $5 apiece, and no one will be allowed on the structure or even near the construction site after dark.
In the years preceding 1993, the wood for what was to become the blazing tower ignited on Dartmouth Night was delivered the Monday of that week, leaving freshmen with several days to construct their bonfire.
But after upper-class students attacked and attempted to tear down the tiers composing the bonfire in 1993, the College and the Student Assembly devised new guidelines for the construction.
As a result, the wood for the bonfire is now delivered early on Thursday morning, and the freshman class has only two days in which to finish building the massive structure.
The College supervises the construction of the bonfire -- which has a 33-tier star base that supports a 22-tier hexagon, which in turn is the foundation for a 7-tier square of specially ordered, square-cut, non-treated lumber.
The Blunt Alumni Center provides the funding for the untreated beams. The cost of the entire event, including the cost of safety measures, amounts to approximately $5,000.
