Homecoming Bonfire

It was homecoming last weekend, and we joined in on some of the festivities. You really get a sense of school pride at a school like Dartmouth. It’s like a club that people can bond over, though I’m sure like any club, there are hierarchies within so that the requisite social pecking orders can be established. It is interesting to see it all in action.

The big event for homecoming is the big football game, which we were intending on attending, but had a time conflict with other things, so it wasn’t looking like we were going to make it. There were, however, plenty of other things going on.

The bonfire was Friday night, but before that, there was the preseason opener for women’s hockey. We had a plan. Since Fridays are sort of busy, the plan was to get our stuff done and then head out to watch the game. A&R were having fun and didn’t want to leave at the designated time, so we got to the game late, after the first period. The game was actually free, much to my surprise and joy, though there was no food concessions. Bummer.

Dartmouth played against McGill U, my mother in laws alma mater, and we found ourselves rooting for McGill. Oh Canada. It was a good game, and it still surprises me that in light having such a great hockey team, nobody comes to the games. The place was empty. The men’s team is just a bigger draw. The game was fun, N got to see real hockey in action and maybe find some inspiration. After the game, we went in search of food.

The band was gathering right as we left, so we followed them towards the bonfire. It’s interesting to see the band and wonder how people end up where they do. Does Dartmouth give out band scholarships? We ate at our favorite place, Boloco, which was a zoo. We saw our friends from UF there, their mother is an alum and was in the parade, and we also saw A’s buddy, SR, so it was fun. The bonfire was a little nutty, tons of students, having fun and probably drunk. You see the antics that you thought were cool when you were younger but now look a bit silly. A by product of getting old and dull.

Our timing was actually good, because we missed a lot of the boring stuff like the parade and speeches, and we only had to wait about 20 minutes before the fire. Last year we sat through all the ceremony, and it was a complete bore, plus the crowds can get crazy. We listened to some speeches and then the big event, the one the kids and parents really wanted to see, the lighting of the bonfire. It’s pretty impressive the stuff, the woodpile is probably about three stories high, and when it burns, it’s so hot that it hurts your face, even when you’re about 100 feet back.

We watched it burn for a bit and then headed home after a long day. It’s fun to go along for the ride, but sometimes I find the whole school spirit thing akin to brainwashing. Does your school really love you as much you love it? Also, not to sound like a stick in the mud, but I couldn’t help thinking what a waste of good lumber that fire was. Not sure what sort of wood they used, but it must have been about a half dozen cords up there.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to n9iknorris for the pic.