Hillsdale College is planning to celebrate its 179th birthday, known as Founder’s Day, with a hot chocolate bar, an ornament-making station, and a festive winter market on the quad.
The 1844 Society will host its annual Founding Fest Dec. 2 from 5-9 p.m. The celebration, which traditionally brings together students, faculty, and the wider community, is a commemoration of the college’s founding on Dec. 4, 1844.
“Founding Fest is an opportunity for the entire college community to come together to promote and preserve that heritage,” said Braden VanDyke ’21, associate director of alumni relations.
Junior Sarah Mckeown said Founding Fest is a time to recognize the collective contributions that have shaped the unique character of Hillsdale College.
“Founder’s Day provides students with the opportunity to appreciate the inestimable blessings of Hillsdale College and the generations of students, faculty, and friends of the college who have contributed to the life-changing experience that is four years at Hillsdale College,” McKeown said.
According to VanDyke, the event offers a diverse array of Christmas-themed activities, suitable for all ages.
“Founding Fest will be busy with a few of our favorite things,” VanDyke said, “including a hot chocolate bar, chili bar, caroling with the choir, crafts and markets, campfires and s’mores, and of course our favorite furry alpaca friends.”
Grace Gottwalt, senior and vice president of social media for the 1844 Society said she is looking forward to the festivities.
“My favorite part of Founding Fest is the alpacas,” Gottwalt said. “They are a unique attraction to have roaming the middle of a college campus.”
At its core, Braden said Founding Fest is a reflection of Hillsdale’s commitment to fostering community and tradition. This is evident in how students and professors come together to celebrate not only the college’s history but the values for which it stands.
“My favorite part of Founding Fest has to be watching all facets of the Hillsdale College community come together for an evening that not only captures the spirit of the season but also the spirit of the college,” VanDyke said.
In the busyness of campus life, McKeown said, it can be easy to take the privileges of being a Hillsdale student for granted.
“Few are so fortunate as to attend Hillsdale,” McKeown said, “to learn from professors with a passion for their subjects and care for their students, to have friendships with devoted peers who strive for higher ideals, and through both of these means, to grow spiritually into an individual constantly striving for the good, true, and beautiful.”
VanDyke connected the college’s legacy to both its history and impact on the community.
“The genesis of any lasting thing; whether that be a religion, country, or college, carries with it a certain importance,” VanDyke said. “Founding Fest hopes to draw on that origin story here at Hillsdale College.”
Gottwalt agreed that Founding Fest offers students a chance to reflect on the college’s heritage and enduring mission.
“It’s easy to get wrapped up in school and other obligations, but this is a special day dedicated to the life and love that Hillsdale has given us,” Gottwalt said.“Just as we celebrate the birth of a friend, it is important to celebrate the founding of the college.”
