On Saturday, July 27, the Green will be teeming with activity as the College welcomes community members to campus to enjoy “Summer Celebration,” an inclusive commemoration of Dartmouth’s 250th anniversary.
The day’s festivities begin at 11 a.m. with activities and entertainment for both children and adults being offered on the Green, where representatives from several departments and organizations at Dartmouth will be on hand to share information regarding programs that are open to the public. The Rassias Center for World Languages and Cultures, the Center for Social Impact, the Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies, and the Book Arts Workshop are some of the groups expected to attend.
Meanwhile, children and families will gravitate to the celebration’s Kids’ Zone on the Green—featuring face painting, games, crafts, a petting zoo, and more—courtesy of the Town of Hanover Parks and Recreation.
Dartmouth students and other regional music acts are scheduled to perform throughout the daytime part of the event, which runs until 2 p.m. Food will be available for purchase from a variety of food trucks set up along the Green, including The Box, The Skinny Pancake, Trail Break Tacos, Morano Gelato, and Wicked Awesome Barbeque. Each participating vendor will offer a 250th anniversary signature food item with a $2.50 price tag. The food trucks will remain through the afternoon and into the evening’s outdoor concert, presented by the Hopkins Center for the Arts.
Andrés Bravo and Sarita Apel, professional tango dancers based in New York City, will teach a free introductory Argentine tango class at 2 p.m. in Alumni Hall at the Hopkins Center. The pair will perform with the Pedro Giraudo Tango Quartet at 5 p.m. to kick off the free evening concert program.
Cha Wa, a Grammy-nominated Mardi Gras Indian funk band from New Orleans, takes the stage at 6:30 p.m. The group will be followed at 8 p.m. by Noah Kahan, a singer-songwriter from Strafford, Vt.
The aims of the locally minded celebration are twofold, says Executive Vice President Rick Mills.
“As we celebrate the College’s 250th year, this event is a chance to recognize Dartmouth’s longstanding connection to the town of Hanover and all the other communities of the Upper Valley,” Mills says. “It also is an invitation to the public to explore the many offerings and resources at the College that are open to the greater community.”
In addition, the College welcomes parents and families of sophomores in town for Summer Family Weekend to attend the event as while they are visiting campus.
Bookending the celebration are two film screenings. As part of the Hop’s summer film series, Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi will be shown at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, July 26, in Spaulding Auditorium. A free screening of The Lion King, the new live-action remake of the 1994 animated classic, will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 28, in Spaulding Auditorium. The film’s showing is sponsored jointly by the Hopkins Center and the 250th Planning Committee. Tickets can be reserved for both films in advance on the Hop’s website.
