Submitted by Berry College
ROME — Berry College alumni, students and parents are once again gearing up for the annual celebration of founder Martha Berry’s birthday, better known as Mountain Day. A crowd of more than 5,000 is expected to gather for the weekend festivities.
Events get under way Friday with an afternoon golf scramble at Stonebridge Golf Club and the annual Mountain Day Olympics for students, faculty and staff, which will be held on the main campus beginning at 3 p.m. on the Moon Building lawn. An alumni art exhibit will also be on display Friday in the Moon Gallery, and the Berry Alumni Collection, a Student-Operated Campus Enterprise, will have alumni merchandise available in the Berry Alumni Center. Other notable events include a 5 p.m. reception for Berry high school and academy alumni.
Festivities continue Saturday morning with a 5K run/2-mile health walk, followed by a 10 a.m. chapel service featuring alumnus John Coleman, a published author and MBA/MPA candidate at Harvard University. After the service, the celebration shifts to the mountain campus for the annual picnic lunch and “Grand March” of students, one of Berry’s most enduring traditions. The fun continues into the afternoon with children’s activities, a live band, an optional tour of the House o’ Dreams and the operation of Berry’s Old Mill. Vendor booths will feature student organizations, college and alumni merchandise, and various alumni groups – including a tent for young alumni that will serve as a gathering point for Berry’s most recent graduates.
Other weekend highlights include intercollegiate soccer and volleyball games and performances of Marsha Norman’s Getting Out by the Berry College Theatre Company. On Saturday, a mega-reunion featuring nine different academy and college classes will be held at Oak Hill beginning at 4:30 p.m.
For specific information regarding events and times, please contact the alumni office at (706) 236-2256. A full schedule of events is available online at www.berry.edu/alumni. Just in time for this year’s Mountain Day celebration, Berry is launching a new online feature that makes it possible for alumni and friends to experience the Grand March in real time by going to www.berry.edu/alumni/vmtnday. In addition to streaming video, the new Web site also includes a live chat function.
