There’s something comforting about knowing that some things will always be the same. Every year, Etown participates in the same events, and they are things that we look forward to. If this is your first year as an Elizabethtown College student, then you’re in for a treat because you have four years ahead of you with so many fun things to look forward to. As for those who are graduating, make sure you soak up these traditions, because it will be the last time that you get to go through them.
Some of the best Etown traditions are The Price is Right, hosted by S.W.E.E.T., the marshmallow soccer game that happens when the men’s soccer team plays against Messiah college, Thanksgiving Dinner, the tree lighting ceremony, any of the themed dinners really, and of course we can’t forget TGIS. All of these different events are great for the campus community because they bring us all together. When we go to these events, we come together to truly form one community.
The Price is Right is one of my personal favorite traditions. I always loved watching the game show as a child, and when I came to college, I didn’t even think that I would ever get the chance to watch people play the games right in front of me. The prizes that are offered are really good too. I mean, how many colleges offer concert tickets or trips to places? It is the things like this, that really make our school special because we have people that want to make our lives fun and give us something to be entertaining.
If you have no idea what I mean when I talk about the marshmallow soccer game, then you’re in for a treat. Elizabethtown and Messiah have a sort of rivalry, which always makes for a fun sports game. Whenever the men’s soccer teams play against each other, the stands are filled with Elizabethtown students who have bags of marshmallows in their hands. The marshmallows get thrown onto the field, and everything turns into a big white fluffy extravaganza. There’s nothing like a good sports game to really make the college experience come together.
Now my personal favorite Etown tradition is Thanksgiving Dinner and the tree lighting ceremony. If there is anything that brings students and faculty together, it is this dinner. It is a nice change of pace when all of us get dressed up and eat dinner together with our second family, our friends that mean the most to us. Faculty rush around the room making sure that we have everything we need and they are happy to participate, which is really cool. Any of my friends that go to other schools don’t do anything like this, and I love how unique it makes us. Of course the food is also really good too!
Maybe it is because I just love the fall and winter holiday seasons, but going from Thanksgiving dinner to the tree lighting ceremony really just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside. All of the students gathering together in front of one of the great evergreen trees with twinkling lights, singing Christmas carols, and hearing a story read from President Strikwerda, really makes us feel like one giant family. There is always hot chocolate and cookies that we all somehow manage to convince ourselves that we need to eat even though we’re full from the Thanksgiving feast that we shoved down our throats only hours before. It really does bring us all together and makes us one giant family. While there may be no place like home for the holidays, there really is no place like Elizabethtown College to share some of these special moments with.
If we fast-forward to the spring semester, we find ourselves dreaming about the weekend of TGIS. This weekend is where we all let lose and have fun as the end of the year quickly approaches us. Brinser Field is taken over by hundreds of students and a variety of inflatable obstacle courses. The giant picnic with tons of delicious food is lined up along the edges of the field, and it really is just a good time. It is important that we have a time and place to just unwind and hangout before the stress of finals really hits us.
Elizabethtown College students really are lucky. We have so many different programs and people that care about us and want us to have a good time. We don’t have to have these different opportunities presented to us, but we do and it really makes our college experience that much more exciting. I applaud all of those who take the time to coordinate these different campus events, because you really bring us all together to celebrate being one giant family.
