As part of Chatham University’s extensive history comes the equally extensive history of quirky University traditions. Between May Day pageants, Toe-Dabbling Day, the Fickes Hall Eggnog Party and a long list of clubs and activities, Chatham has always had a special spot for celebration and the pursuit of passion. Some of these traditions have gone, some have stayed and others have morphed and evolved over time.
With Homecoming weekend approaching , Chatham students and alumni will be participating in a vast variety of campus happenings. As we take time to celebrate our community, now is also a time to look back on traditions of Chatham’s past, whether continued or not.
Jennie Mellon King Library’s digital archive collections detail and document a plethora of Chatham content, from student-run newspapers to a collection dedicated exclusively to May Day.
May Day was a pageant and festival that the Chatham community took part in from 1905-1947. Students, staff and faculty alike would participate in or watch musical and theatrical performances, as well as dress in costume, fitted for themes that changed with each festival. The May Day celebration was known for elaborate staging and outfitting, as well as the large turnout that it received each year.
Another very popular tradition that took place in the spring was Toe-Dabbling Day. This was a day dedicated specifically for relaxation, enjoying warm weather and as the name hints, occasionally getting into the Mellon pond.
Each year, the celebration was a complete surprise to students. Administration would find a day when the weather permitted outdoor activities and would sound the chapel bell any time before 7:30 a.m., which alarmed students that all classes would be cancelled.
Chatham alum Pat Werschulz ‘72 reflected in a LinkedIn post about her memorable experiences as this annual triumph commenced.
“It happened every spring like clockwork. We all looked forward to it, and it taught us that sometimes you just need to take a break and enjoy life,” Werschulz said. “The idea was that when Toe-Dabbling Day was decreed, everybody got a chance to relax. If you had a final exam that day, it was postponed and rescheduled. If you had a paper due that day, it was delayed for a whole day.”
Professors were required to cancel class, and there was a special risk for those spotted on campus.
“All of our meals were served out on the lawn, picnic style. If any professor dared step onto campus that day, we had the right to throw them in the pond, and it did happen,” Werschulz stated.
For those looking for video proof of this occurrence, check out the link here at 29 minutes and 24 seconds, where a group of students are pictured carrying their victim of choice down to the pond.
In the fall seasons of the 1920s, students used to participate in a Chatham tradition referred to as Mountain Day, a day that community members would travel to the Allen Farm of the Brookside Farms development. Treated as an annual holiday that first started in October of 1921, Mountain Day was hosted by the Athletic Association at the time. Similarly to Toe-Dabbling day, students, staff and faculty were to enjoy sports, games and picnic activities while at the farm.
“A standing broad grin, discus throw (a paper plate serving as the discus), a three-legged race, blind race and a shoe race and a tug of war made up the list of events,” states the archives.
Though as many of us know, Chatham traditions continue on even when warm weather does not.
Still continuing to this day, Candlelight is a special ceremony that marks the end of the fall semester. Community members listen to choir performances, poetry readings and light candles. Following the Candlelight ceremony, students are invited to a winter ball held in the Mellon Board Room.
What many students don’t know is that Chatham used to host something titled the Fickes Eggnog Party. For those who look hard enough, you can find advertisements scattered in the student newspapers between the 1950s all the way up to the 2000s.
Over the years, the timelines have altered slightly, but the main themes remain the same. At some point, sometimes before or after the Candlelight ceremony, students, staff, faculty and alumni were once invited into Fickes Hall for what has been consistently referred to as the Eggnog Party. Here community members were served eggnog and h’orderves, all being invited to Fickes Hall to celebrate into the night.
Whether these traditions are to return or not are up to us. Though even if not, it is always interesting to see the same campus, decades ago, participating in equally as silly and youthful activities.
