Juniata College - Student Life - Annual Events

Annual Events

Juniata College has a tradition of campus-wide events dating back to its founding days.

• Mountain Day, Established: 1896 — Mountain Day is the oldest tradition at Juniata and occurs on an unannounced fall day. The specific date of Mountain Day is not known to students nor faculty until the morning of the event; however, its possible date is a constant source of campus speculation. On Mountain day, all classes are canceled and both students and faculty are shuttled to one of the state parks in the area. The day includes a picnic lunch, nature walks, crafts, music, swimming, boating, and a class vs. class tug-of-war.

• Homecoming Weekend, Established: 1923 — Homecoming features alumni reunion activities, sporting events, and a class spirit competition. A unique aspect of Juniata's Homecoming celebration is the presentation of the Community Contribution Awards during half-time of the football game rather than having a Homecoming king and queen. The award recognizes students who have made outstanding community service contributions, both on-campus and in their local communities.

• Family Weekend, Established: 1936 — Usually occurring on a weekend in September, Family Weekend is a chance for students' parents and families to visit the campus. The weekend is filled with activities such as picnics, sporting events, cultural events, tours, etc.

• Storming of the Arch, Established: Mid-1940s — Storming of the Arch takes place on the second Thursday of fall semester and is optional for any new freshmen. Freshmen gather on the center of the campus quad with the intention of charging the Cloister Arch and making it through to the other side, a mission complicated by a group of upperclassmen - "defenders" of the Arch. Freshmen charge the Arch until they are all knocked down or someone gets through the gauntlet of upperclassmen. To date, no freshman class has made it through the Arch successfully. Storming of the Arch was canceled in the mid-90's due to the number of students being injured but was reinstated by several officers of the Men's rugby team who reorganized it as a charity event.

• Madrigal dinner, Established: 1970 — Madrigal Dinner is one of the most popular traditions, with 600-700 students attending, and occurs on the last Saturday of fall semester. This holiday tradition starts with a meal served to the students by the faculty and staff of their choosing. After dinner, guests are entertained with performances by members of the campus community and the group participates in a holiday carol sing. This sing-along culminates with the singing of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" with various sections of the dining hall acting out the different parts of the song. Tickets for the sections are sold first-come first-serve and students camp out during the week(s) prior in order to acquire their desired section (the "Five Golden Rings" section is very popular). The Madrigal "line" is typically an elaborate tent city on the lawn around the campus center. It is tradition for some to play pranks on the "line." These pranks in past years have included; blowing air horns throughout the night, water balloons, flooding the lawn where the tents are located, spreading empty beer cans around tents, playing recorded animal sounds, and glueing tent zippers shut.

• Pig Roast, Established: 1986 — Pigroast is an annual barbecue held at Raystown Lake and is sponsored by the Men's rugby team with the support of the Women's Rugby team. This barbecue also serves as an opportunity for the men's rugby club to play a match against the alumni who return for the event. It started as a replacement activity after the school banned the annual Raft Regatta, another event held by the notorious rugby teams. This event is marked by the mass consumption of beer. Popular unofficial activities include keg stands and a keg toss.

• Lobsterfest, Established: 1988 — Lobsterfest is held at the end of the first week of fall semester classes and welcomes students back to campus after summer break. Lobsterfest is a picnic that features small, watery lobsters as the main course and live entertainment. In addition, the Student Organization Fair is held during Lobsterfest during which new students have the opportunity to see and sign up for campus clubs.

• Mr. Juniata Pageant, Established: 1997 — Sponsored by Circle K, the Mr. Juniata Pageant is a tongue-in-cheek spoof of beauty pageants with men from each class competing for the coveted Mr. Juniata crown. The categories include take-offs of formal wear, talent, and interviews.

• All Class Night, Established: NA — For All-Class Night, each class performs an original production spoofing campus events and personalities. A professor serves as the MC and a panel of faculty and staff judge performances. The winning class takes home the All-Class Night Cup. Occasionally, the faculty and staff present a performance as well. Performances have included live sheep "show" on stage, students roller-skating down aisles, demonization of Staci Weber and William J. von Liebig, and the president of the college in dark sunglasses belting out a Blues Brothers song.