Reese Chatman, Campus Carrier features editor

Mountain Day has a long and rich history spanning decades at Berry. It is a weekend that celebrates the college and the people that have come through it over the years. As these people have come and gone, many traditions have stayed the same. Alumni and the Memorial Library Archives provide a deeper look into this longstanding event.

The first Mountain Day celebration began in (1914?) when Martha Berry invited students to a picnic for her birthday. Students traveled to the foot of the mountain via wagon and would then hike to the top. The grand march began when students wanted to express their appreciation to Martha as a birthday gift. However, Martha did not want anything material, so students and staff banded together to create gifts for the school as a whole.

“Mountain Day is essentially Berry’s version of homecoming.” Communications professor and Berry alumni, Hope Willoughby said. “It’s all about Martha, celebrating Berry’s legacy and coming together as a community. That last part is my favorite aspect of Mountain Day because it is a chance for current students to connect with alumni and others who share in this vision of what the Berry community is.”

Willoughby gave a brief rundown and overview of what Mountain Day activities take place over the weekend, and what they are meant to focus on.

“The activities that happen on Friday are really just focused on current students.” She said. “That’s where you get the Mountain Day Olympics and the talent show. Then, on Saturday it branches out to become more about the alumni community with events like the grand march and the picnic.

Willoughby spoke of some of the larger event changes she has witnessed over the years, one of which being, Marthapolooza.

“When I was a student, that was when Marthapolooza was just getting started.” She said. “It was originally introduced as an alternative to the field party, which took place off campus, and was kind of dangerous. There was some underage drinking among other criminal activity, so this was the alternative. I got to be there and watch it first get off the ground, and when they first started adding carnival rides.

As she has grown from student to alumni and Berry staff member, Willoughby’s outlook on the weekend has changed quite a bit.

“When I was a student and was working these events, I would love being able to meet and chat with the alumni.” She said. “It is for sure still a chance to meet people, but now it is a lot more of a chance for me to reconnect with people I already know. This could be former students or friends. I am still friends with a lot of alumni.

“A lot of Mountain Day activities are still the same.” Associate Dean of Students Lindsey Norman said. “You still compete with your residence halls which is a lot of fun. We used to have a bigger commuter team. They used to be a lot more active than they are now.”

As a student, Norman worked for KCAB, which played a pivotal role in what events she enjoyed the most.

“As a student, my favorite part of Mountain Day was the Olympics, mainly because I was the one planning it and running it.” She said. “The march was not as much of a big deal to me. But now, my friends who I would have spent time with at the Olympics, I now see at the march, so that’s become my favorite.”

Mountain Day has played in integral role in Norman’s life, with her first attendance of the event being in 2000. 22 years later, she has never missed it.

“Over the years when I was looking for jobs, I would always make sure that wherever I was, I would be able to make it back for Mountain Day. She said, “I even got engaged after the march one year. My husband and I even made sure that we didn’t plan our wedding around that time.”

“To me, Mountain Day is about remembering that the Berry community is your family”, Norman said. “I think it shows Berry students a glimpse into the long history of the school. Even when students become alumni, they will realize that no matter what they were involved in during their time here, everyone has Mountain Day in common.”