By Frank Boles
In its 125 year history Central Michigan University has
celebrated the end of year holidays and the winter months that followed in a
variety of ways. No one celebration has spanned the entire history of the University
but many were long lived, and important themes remained unchanged.
Perhaps the earliest, and the most long-lived tradition,
was a semi-formal dance held in December. The first documented dance was held
in 1926. Proceeds from the dance were given to charity, a tradition that
continued specifically with the dance for many years, and would be reflected in
many other traditions that would develop over the years.
The first dances were campus-wide events. In the 1950s
fraternities and sororities began to sponsor the event, and in the 1960s and
1970s various residence halls held dances. In the 1980s the tradition
disappeared, with the last residence hall dances held in Barnard and Beddow
Halls, as well as a few events sponsored by different fraternities.
As dances began to fade in popularity other events came
to the fore. One of the most long-lived was the winter carnival. Held in
February, the carnival featured a variety of games, floats, dances and other
events. Snow sculptures were an integral part of the festival, as were “sort
of” outdoor sports, such as broom hockey. The carnival was first held in 1939
and eventually ended in the early 1980s.
One part of the carnival, however, survives to this
day. In 1979 the event featured a “polar
plunge”, a fundraiser for Special Olympics where particularly brave (or
foolish, depending on your point of view) individuals jumped into the ponds in
front of Rose Arena. The polar plunge is still with us, including the idea of
recruiting sponsors whose contributions will go to charity, assuming the person
who they sponsor really does the deed!
A bit less exhilarating, but far more practical, was the
Christmas Coffee sponsored by the Association for Women Students during the
1950s and 1960s, where everyone was invited to come an enjoy a bit of holiday
cheer (at least as much cheer as can be derived from a cup of coffee).
A more satisfying feast was the Madrigal dinner. A madrigal is a music composition of the
Renaissance and early Baroque
eras. The annual holiday tradition took songs from this era and combined them
with a “feast.” First held in 1977, the event featured costumed entertainment,
as well as a themed meal. The event was last held in 1994, when ticket sales
failed to generate sufficient revenue to fund the event.
Beginning in 1902 and continuing into the 1960’s CMU was
home to a Training School, a facility where future teachers could hone their
skills on real students. As did almost every elementary school of the era, the
students put on a holiday entertainment for their parents. First graders
dressed up as elves delighted their parents, pretty much regardless of what
actually happened on stage.
Members of the campus community first began to collect
items for the community charity Christmas Outreach in the 1980. The Wesley
Foundation and St. Mary’s Church took leading roles in gathering clothing items
on campus to be subsequently distributed throughout the community. The
University’s involvement in the program grew over the years. In 2005 Finch
Fieldhouse became the center for distributing the many items to members of the
community. Finch continues to serve in this role each holiday season.
Fun, fellowship, and giving are all part of the CMU’s
holiday traditions.
Happy holidays to all from the staff of the Clarke
Historical Library.
