By Jeb Blount, Marketing Intern

Another Mountain Day Weekend has come and gone. Mountain Day is a weekend full of tradition, memories, and community at Berry College. It brings alumni, their families, and current Berry students together in order to celebrate our founder’s birthday. The campus comes alive as people young and old bask in the beauty of Berry College. Alumni take their time to revisit old memories around Evans Hall, The Krannert Student Center, The Ford Complex, and Morton Lemely. You can hear the passion they have for their former home as they share with their families the magic they felt as students here. Campus never feels more joyful than on Mountain Day weekend. In the late morning, Stretch Road begins to fill with traffic, with cars backed all the way down to Main Campus. The road is populated with music and singing as we move towards a joyous celebration.

On Mountain Campus, in the warmth of an early fall day, student vendors sell a variety of crafts, from homemade goat cheese to hand sewn ties. Music from the marching band fills the air, barbecue and ice cream are served, people are hiking to The House of Dreams, and many dogs and children are running and playing happily. The atmosphere uplifts and comforts students past and present because it always feels like home. Just after 1:00 PM, students start to line up on Mountain Day hill in their respective classes to begin the Grand March. All around us stand proud mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers and alumni who wait patiently for the festivities to begin. The crowd gathers, and we cheer as the lines finally begin to move down the mountain, proudly and carefully. Men dress in blue and women dress in pink, and we march up and down, smiles and laughter keep us moving with our hands clasped tight. The band plays fight songs, and we all join together at the bottom of the hill, stopping for just a moment to let the dust settle. Dr. Steve Briggs, Berry College President, comes out and leads us in singing our Alma Mater. We sway together in unison, over 500 students, screaming “ALMA MATER, HAIL, ALL HAIL.”

If you haven’t experienced Mountain Day at Berry College, mark your calendars for October 5, 2019. Mountain Day is something to be enjoyed by Romans, Berry students and any visitor wanting to help celebrate the birthday of Martha Berry. No RSVP is required, just join us on Mountain Campus!