2008 Woodie Awards
Where did that tradition go?
Lost outdoor celebrations on campus revisited.
Anna Keleman and Joel Pitt
Issue date: 4/23/08 Section: Features
This year, there has been much student discussion of traditions at the College (see the article on traditions recently featured in the March 12 edition of the Echo). Now, as the campus finally begins to thaw and students venture outside to soak up the sun, two past outside traditions are brought to mind.
In 1905, Colby's thirteenth president, Charles White, created an event which focused on school spirit and athletics. Colby Day, as the event came to be called, was scheduled to take place on the eve of the biggest football match of the year. These matches usually took place against Bates or Bowdoin, and as such, competitive energy ran high. Colby Day itself was a field day, and men and women competed in various sports and field events. Activities included basketball, tennis, tetherball, bowling and croquet, with the most popular and widely attended event being the freshman-sophomore girls' basketball game.
The field events took place over a full day, and as night drew near, a lull descended on the campus and Colby Night began. Although it is President White who lays claim to Colby Day, it was the fourteenth president, Arthur Roberts, who institutionalized Colby Night. Colby Night took place in the gymnasium and brought together students, faculty, and alumni to share an evening of spirited events. Personally involved to the last, President Roberts himself greeted attendees as they arrived.
At the event itself, students could expect a night of rousing speeches from the president and various members of the faculty. These speeches focused on athletics and the caliber of a Colby student. Furthermore, the night included music from the band, and a meal described in Colby's records as a "feast," though in reality it was a simple dinner of sandwiches, doughnuts, barrels of apples, and coffee. The meal was served by Supervisor of Student Maintenance Workers Fred "Chef" Weymouth.
While the festivities of Colby Day culminated with the beginning of Colby Night, both events climaxed with a large bonfire at the end of the evening. Did the event really help the football team win? Some years it did, others it did not. The tradition of the Colby Day and Night, however, continued until the end of the Roberts era. Eventually it was replaced by the popular Johnson Day after the College settled in its new home on Mayflower Hill.
In 1905, Colby's thirteenth president, Charles White, created an event which focused on school spirit and athletics. Colby Day, as the event came to be called, was scheduled to take place on the eve of the biggest football match of the year. These matches usually took place against Bates or Bowdoin, and as such, competitive energy ran high. Colby Day itself was a field day, and men and women competed in various sports and field events. Activities included basketball, tennis, tetherball, bowling and croquet, with the most popular and widely attended event being the freshman-sophomore girls' basketball game.
The field events took place over a full day, and as night drew near, a lull descended on the campus and Colby Night began. Although it is President White who lays claim to Colby Day, it was the fourteenth president, Arthur Roberts, who institutionalized Colby Night. Colby Night took place in the gymnasium and brought together students, faculty, and alumni to share an evening of spirited events. Personally involved to the last, President Roberts himself greeted attendees as they arrived.
At the event itself, students could expect a night of rousing speeches from the president and various members of the faculty. These speeches focused on athletics and the caliber of a Colby student. Furthermore, the night included music from the band, and a meal described in Colby's records as a "feast," though in reality it was a simple dinner of sandwiches, doughnuts, barrels of apples, and coffee. The meal was served by Supervisor of Student Maintenance Workers Fred "Chef" Weymouth.
While the festivities of Colby Day culminated with the beginning of Colby Night, both events climaxed with a large bonfire at the end of the evening. Did the event really help the football team win? Some years it did, others it did not. The tradition of the Colby Day and Night, however, continued until the end of the Roberts era. Eventually it was replaced by the popular Johnson Day after the College settled in its new home on Mayflower Hill.
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