Bluffton University will look back at 100 years of May Day theatricals as part of its annual May Day weekend festivities, which also include the traditional May Day ceremony at a new time—1:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 2.
Also among the new events on the April 30-May 3 schedule are a “Faculty Showcase” presentation by Dr. Walter Paquin, an assistant professor of social work who will discuss his research related to the aftermath of the Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson, Missouri; and a piano/organ recital by alumnae Kathryn (Lehman ’95) Harsha and Kirsten Halker-Kratz ’96.
The weekend will open Thursday, April 30, with the first of three performances of “The Musical of Musicals: The Musical!” in Founders Hall, and conclude Sunday, May 3, with commencement in the Sommer Center. In between will be a full complement of activities, including several alumni reunions and the May Day Run/Walk.
The symposium marking a century of May Day theatricals is set for 3-4 p.m. Saturday in the Musselman Library Reading Room. Emeriti faculty Gene Caskey and Stephen Jacoby will be among the former directors joining the current directors, Drs. Melissa Friesen and Crystal Sellers Battle, for the celebration.
The symposium will follow the May Day ceremony—at its new afternoon time—and a reception for graduating seniors, both on the Centennial Hall lawn. Weaving together Bluffton’s past, present and future, the May Day ceremony includes the colorful Maypole dance by first-year students, crowning of the queen and king and recognition of graduates.
Paquin’s presentation on his study of black, suburban neighborhoods—including Ferguson—will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday in Centennial Hall’s Stutzman Lecture Hall.
The alumnae recital, meanwhile, is scheduled for 4:30-5:20 p.m. Saturday in Yoder Recital Hall. Among the music on the program is a piece for piano duet and baritone composed for the recital by Kirsten Halker-Kratz’s husband, Girard Kratz.
Students and their families, Bluffton alumni and community members are encouraged to participate in the weekend’s events, which include:
Thursday, April 30-Saturday, May 2
• May Day musical, a production of “The Musical of Musicals: The Musical!” an affectionate parody of five musical theater greats, at 7:30 p.m. each evening in Founders Hall. Tickets, $15 for reserved seats and $5 for general-admission bleacher seats, are available online at http://tickets.bluffton.edu; for assistance with tickets, call the box office at 419-358-3239.
• The annual Juried Student Art Exhibition in the Sauder Visual Arts Center. Hours in the Grace Albrecht Gallery are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.
Saturday, May 2
• May Day Run (four miles)/College Cabin Walk, 8 a.m. start, Sommer Center. Registration begins at 7 a.m. A half-mile Family Fun Run and a Toddler Trot will also be available. Visit www.bluffton.edu/blufftonalumni/mayday/run for registration information.
• Guided campus tours leave every 20 minutes from Marbeck Center, 9:30-11:30 a.m. and 2:30-4:30 p.m.
• Alumni Choir Sing, 9:30 a.m., Yoder Recital Hall
• Student Honors Recital, 10:45 a.m., Yoder Recital Hall
• Faculty Showcase with Dr. Walter Paquin, 11 a.m., Stutzman Lecture Hall, Centennial Hall
• Class reunions and May Day lunch, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Lunch will be a buffet in The Commons, Marbeck Center, for alumni through 1999, their families and friends, and a picnic lunch in Burcky Gym for alumni from 2000-14, their families and friends, plus 2015 graduates, their families and current students. Tickets are required; purchase online, at http://tickets.bluffton.edu, or at the door.
• May Day ceremony, 1:30 p.m., Centennial Hall lawn
• Symposium: 100 Years of May Day Theatricals, 3-4 p.m., Musselman Library Reading Room
• Alumnae piano/organ recital by Kathryn (Lehman ’95) Harsha and Kirsten Halker-Kratz ‘96, 4:30-5:20 p.m., Yoder Recital Hall
Sunday, May 3
• Baccalaureate ceremony, 10:30 a.m., Founders Hall. Dr. Randy Keeler, associate professor of religion, will give the baccalaureate address, titled “The One Thing.”
• Commencement, 2 p.m., Sommer Center. “Your One Wild and Precious Life” will be the topic of guest speaker Dr. Karen Longman, program director and professor of doctoral higher education at Azusa (Calif.) Pacific University.
For a complete listing of May Day weekend events, and more information, visit www.bluffton.edu/blufftonalumni/mayday/schedule.html
