Last weekend, the Dartmouth community celebrated Homecoming without a bonfire for the first time in five years due to a state-wide burn ban. The bonfire was last canceled during the pandemic.
Instead, the College hosted a lightshow on the Green with student DJs, as well as a parade, a football game at Memorial Field and a tailgate for alumni.
Bonfire chair Carol Rong ’29, who helped organize the programming, said that this year’s Homecoming involved “a quick change” in plans due to the drought but that the weekend was still “pretty smooth.”
“We had a feeling that this might be happening,” she said, saying the dry weather made it clear the bonfire could be canceled.
Prior to the laser show, the bonfire chairs organized events — including a craft night for members of the Class of 2029 — which were “super popular.”
“We wanted to make sure that despite the lack of bonfire there were still a lot of engaging events building up to the week, so we tried keeping them as similar as we could to the events that would happen with the bonfire,” Rong said.
Paige Okerstrom ’29 agreed that she “thought it was a little disappointing to not have the bonfire” but that the College “did their best” and the laser show was “still a good time.”
Undergraduate advisor Tyler Grubelich ’26 said that he was initially “disappointed” because the bonfire is an “iconic” part of senior year. Still, he found the laser show “pretty fun” and said that the DJ sets were “really good.”
“It was just a different experience,” he said.
Bernie Jacobs ’62 said that his class has a “mini-reunion” every fall and it often coincides with Homecoming. Jacobs said that for alumni it’s more about the reunion “than Homecoming per se.”
“It’s always just great to be back at Dartmouth,” Jacobs added.
Okerstrom enjoyed seeing alumni and had the experience of talking to a member of the Class of 1965.
“It was fun to see that cross generational communication,” she said.
According to Hanover Police Chief James Martin, the weekend was “positive and safe,” with no arrests made. The Fire Department responded to nine Good Samaritan Calls for intoxicated students, according to Martin.
This is the seventh consecutive year without arrests made. In the past, students have been arrested for attempting to touch the bonfire, according to past reporting by The Dartmouth. Seven students attempted to touch the bonfire in 2017 and 50 students made attempts in 2016.
“The traditional parade, sweep and football game proceeded smoothly and were a great success,” Martin wrote in an email statement to The Dartmouth.
In the weeks leading up to Homecoming weekend, the Hanover Police Department “held several safety briefings with student leaders” on campus focusing on preventative measures and reminding students about New Hampshire’s Good Samaritan Law — which allows people to contact emergency services in situations involving drugs or alcohol without legal repercussions.
