Abigail Dunagan, Campus Carrier features editor

Cammie Wilks, Campus Carrier asst. features editor

One of Berry College’s most special traditions is the weekend of the Mountain Day celebration. Founded in Berry’s rich history, each year, the college invites students, alumni and parents to participate in different festivities to celebrate the birthday of its founder, Martha Berry (Oct. 7, 1865-Feb. 27, 1942). The event will take place this year from Oct. 4-6 with a variety of activities, from the annual picnic, Grand March, a football game and Marthapalooza. 

The tradition of Mountain Day began in 1914 when Martha decided she would cancel classes to celebrate her birthday. She invited all her students to Lavender Mountain, where they all had a picnic and played games. The next year, they declared the picnic would be an annual celebration for Martha called “Mountain Day.” 

Over time, more traditions started, such as the students wanting to give a gift to Martha on her birthday. In 1924, students celebrated Mountain Day by donating the same number of pennies as their age to the Student Endowment Fund. In 1927, students honored Martha by participating in a march at Mountain Campus, which is now called the Grand March. These events were soon combined and are traditions of Mountain Day that are still celebrated. 

Although it was originally started by Martha Berry as a small picnic celebration for her birthday, Mountain Day has evolved into a yearly “Homecoming Weekend” for the college. The Grand March is still a highlight of the festivities, with students of all years participating. Alongside the march, there is a picnic served on Mountain Campus and a performance by the Berry College Wind Ensemble.  

Director of Alumni Relations Cecily Crow (94c) has participated in many Mountain Days since starting at Berry as a student and working as a faculty member. After graduating, Crow worked as an admissions counselor. She held this position for two years before leaving Berry briefly, and she returned in 2002 to work as the director of student activities. After working in the Student Activities Office for 20 years, Crow moved to her current position at the alumni office.  

Crow’s different roles at Berry have given her a unique perspective on the traditions of Mountain Day. Crow said that when she was a student, Mountain Day primarily consisted of activities for students, but over the years it has grown to include various events for Berry graduates. These activities are hosted for class reunions of 10 years, 25 years, 40 years and 50 years, as well as a reunion for graduates of the old Berry High School. While the traditions of the march and the picnic have generally remained the same, some events such as the market, Marthapalooza and the football game were added during Crow’s time working at Berry. 

“There’s a lot more happening at Mountain Day now,” Crow said. “It has truly become a large homecoming weekend for alumni.” 

Marthapalooza is an on-campus carnival that is held annually at the end of Mountain Day. According to Crow, this event initially began in the fall of 2005 as a way to prevent students from attending an off-campus party known as “The Field Party.” This party was held off campus by students each year, but the Dean of Students at the time determined that this was an unsafe event.  

In 2005, Crow gave the Krannert Center Activities Board (KCAB) and the Student Government Association (SGA) students a $14,000 budget and asked them to create an event that would encourage students to stay on campus. The organizations put together a big party where students camped out in the Clara Bowl overnight. There was a bonfire, food, live music and inflatables.  

About 700 students went to Marthapalooza when it first began, and attendance steadily increased over the years as more activities were added. After a couple years, various rides and eventually a Ferris wheel were added. The carnival now averages an attendance of around 2000 students each year. This year, they will have the normal carnival rides and games, as well as a concert to kick off the 20th anniversary of Marthapalooza. 

“It’s just a fun weekend,” Crow said. “It can be overwhelming because there’s a lot of people around, but it happens once a year. Find the things that interest you, and you don’t have to do all of it, but as a senior you should do as much as possible. It is truly a collaboration across campus between a lot of different departments.”  

Another prominent tradition of the weekend is the Mountain Day Olympics. The day before Mountain Day, students kick off the weekend by participating in a series of games and athletic competitions. The Olympics, before it received its title, was an annual field day that had no correlation to Mountain Day. However, around the time KCAB was formed, the Mountain Day Olympics was given its name in 1973.  

Associate Dean of Students Lindsay Norman (05c) she returned to work at the college in 2015. Norman has attended every single Mountain Day since her freshmen year, and her favorite activity to participate in as a student was the Mountain Day Olympics. 

Although the Olympics have largely remained the same each year, one aspect of it that has been discontinued is the parade that took place before the competitions. Each residence hall formed its own team of students, and they entered into the games on different vehicles. Teams would try to out-do each other by riding in on the most ridiculous vehicle possible. In past years, students had entered fire trucks and military vehicles. Norman said that while this tradition has stopped, a large number of students and faculty still look forward to participating in the Olympics. This event is geared towards students, but Norman said that Mountain Day is an exciting time for anyone who has a connection  with Berry. 

“I think a lot of times, people who are alumni will benefit from separating their own berry experience from their experiences as a staff,” Norman said. “No matter what changes Berry makes or students embrace, my experience will always be the same. I get excited when students get excited.” 

Dean of Mathematical and Natural Sciences Alice Suroviec did not attend Berry as a student, but she has participated in many Mountain Day events since becoming a faculty member in 2007. Having come into Berry’s traditions as an outsider, Suroviec said that at first she didn’t have any alumni to see during the event. Over the course of her years as a teacher, she began to have students who graduated and came back to visit. 

“Now it’s kind of like a little family reunion,” Suroviec said. “I have been here long enough that my alumni have gotten married. They have children that are my children’s age. It’s just fun to see my college kids grow into adults.”

Administrative Assistant to the Dean of Mathematical and Natural Sciences Melanie Miller (91c) said that the traditions have grown a lot since she was a student. While it used to be geared towards the student body, alumni didn’t want to stop celebrating after graduating. Over time, more alumni started coming back each year until Mountain Day grew into the large event that it is now.  

“I am glad that Berry continues the tradition,” Miller said. “I don’t want to see it go away, even though I don’t get to participate as much as I used to.” 

Mountain Day is a celebration that is fully unique to Berry College. While it has changed tremendously over the years, it remains a vital reunion to the Berry community of the past and present. It provides new students with a chance to connect and have fun, while simultaneously allowing Berry graduates to re-connect with their college years. Although many events have been added, Mountain Day still serves as a reminder of Berry’s founder and rich history.