Bonfire bliss may take center stage during Homecoming, but the arrival of the first big weekend of the year provides plenty of side-show activities across campus, according to Collis Programming Coordinator Danielle Lajoie, The College will host events in addition to Friday night's bonfire lighting in order to involve students, especially members of the Class of 2015, in weekend traditions, Lajoie said,
Preparation for the bonfire run begins on Thursday and Friday, when freshmen volunteers will come together to assist in the construction, according to Lajoie. There will be food and music on the Green, and everyone is encouraged to help with the construction, she said.
Some first year students interviewed by The Dartmouth expressed uncertainty about the schedule of activities during Homecoming weekend.
"I don't really know what happens, other than there's a bonfire and you have to run around it," Bay ByrneSim 15 said.
Freshman dormitory cluster spirit parties will kick off the weekend celebration for members of the Class of 2015, beginning at 6 p.m. Friday night, according to Lajoie. Freshman will be picked up from around campus by other students during the "Freshmen Sweep," which starts in the River dormitory cluster, and will walk together to the Green, where many will attempt to run around the bonfire 115 times, she said.
While the bonfire burns on the Green, Programming Board will serve hot apple cider and donuts to students, alumni and community members in Collis Common Ground, according to Programming Board president Jalea Moses '12.
"There's a huge turnout every year," Moses said. "It's purpose is to keep people hydrated and warm."
Those looking for a birds-eye view of Homecoming events will be able to climb the Baker Library Bell Tower from 3 to 6 p.m. on Friday, an opportunity reserved for major campus weekends, according to the Office of Alumni Relations website.
The Office of Alumni Relations also plans to offer free stargazing at Shattuck Observatory from 8 to 10 p.m. on Friday, according to its website.
While many students interviewed by The Dartmouth plan on making their way to Webster Avenue for at least some part of the weekend, they will also make time for the traditional community experience associated with Homecoming.
Alex Tsu '14 said he remembers his first Homecoming fondly as a time for students to come together with classmates and bond with their freshmen floors. In contrast to the College's annual Green Key weekend in the spring, Homecoming "isn't really an alcohol-centered event," he said.
Kaila Cauthorn '15 said she also agrees that Homecoming is not a celebration centered on Greek parties and that official, College-sanctioned Homecoming events, not "crowded fraternity basements", are what really makes the weekend special.
"I don't plan on fratting it more than usual," Cauthorn said.
Saturday evening in Spaulding Auditorium, the Dartmouth Brovertones one of the College's all-male a capella groups will host the annual Fall Fling, featuring performances from the Soul Scribes and Wheaton College's all-female a capella group The Wheatones, according to Bobby Esnard '14, a member of both the Brovertones and the Soul Scribes.
"Fall Fling happens every year, with one of Dartmouth's a capella groups hosting and deciding what other groups to invite to perform each year on a rotating basis," Esnard said. "It's going to be a fantastic and entertaining show that everyone can enjoy, and a great time on a Saturday night."
Homecoming also provides an opportunity for current students to interact with alumni from across the years whose Dartmouth experiences both intersect and contrast with their own, according to Lorenzo Carlisle '15,
Carlisle, whose father is a member of the Class of 1965, said he is looking forward to meeting his father's classmates and hearing memories of their time here, including their own participation in the bonfire and other Homecoming traditions.
"Homecoming Recovery," taking place in Occom Commons from 3 to 6 p.m. on Sunday, will mark the end of an action-packed weekend, according to Lajoie. To revive a student body exhausted by fun and fire, Programming Board will hire a professional masseuse and serve complimentary non-alcoholic refreshments, Lajoie said.
