Lion and Lamb celebration part of May Day at Bluffton

Bluffton University will mark its annual May Day weekend May 3-6 with traditional alumni reunions, student activities and graduation events, as well as a celebration of The Lion and Lamb Peace Arts Center's 25th year.

Featured at the anniversary event, beginning at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, May 5, in the Musselman Library Reading Room, will be Dr. Elizabeth "Libby" Hostetler, who founded the Lion and Lamb in 1987; Louise Matthews, the center's current director; and Amy Lehman Mikesell, a 1996 Bluffton graduate and now a visiting instructor in education. They will share stories from the past and present, as well as their vision for the center's future.

In addition, Lion and Lamb exhibits will be on display in the library's Nord Room-the center's original "home."

Other events
Students and their families, Bluffton alumni and community members are encouraged to participate in other May Day weekend events, which also include:
Thursday, May 3-Saturday, May 5

. A production of the musical comedy "The Music Man," at 8 p.m. each evening in Founders Hall. Tickets are $13 for reserved seats and $5.50 for bleacher seats. Tickets are required; order online at http://tickets.bluffton.edu or contact the box office at 419-358-3239.
. The 45th 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.

Friday, May 4

. Baseball doubleheader vs. Hanover, 2 p.m., Memorial Field.

Saturday, May 5

. May Day four-mile run/College Cabin walk, 8:30 a.m. start, Burcky Gym. Registration begins at 7:45 a.m. Visit www.bluffton.edu/blufftonalumni/mayday/run/ for registration information.
. Admissions presentation for high school students and their families, 9 a.m., Kreider Room, Marbeck Center.
. Alumni Choir sing, 9:15 a.m., Yoder Recital Hall.
. Ministry team reunion, 9:15 a.m., Bob's Place, Marbeck Center. The 2011-12 Shining Through music ministry team will lead a worship service at 9:30 a.m.
. May Day ceremony, 11 a.m., Centennial Hall lawn. The ceremony celebrates the end of the academic year, the beginning of a new chapter for graduates and remembrance of times past for alumni. It includes the colorful Maypole dance by first-year students, the crowning of the May Day king and queen, and recognition of graduating seniors.
. Class reunions, May Day buffet luncheon (The Commons, Marbeck Center, for class reunions through 1987) and box lunch (in a tent on the Centennial Hall lawn, for reunion classes from 1992-2011, plus 2012 graduates and their families and current students), noon. Tickets are required; order online at http://tickets.bluffton.edu or contact the box office at 419-358-3239. The Bluffton-based band Anabaptist Bestiary Project will also perform at noon on the Centennial Hall lawn.
. Baseball vs. Hanover, noon, Memorial Field.
. Academic departments reception, 1 p.m., Burcky Gym.
. Music department honors recital, 2:30 p.m., Yoder Recital Hall. Music students who have achieved outstanding work in performance are selected by faculty to appear in the recital.
. The Lion and Lamb Peace Arts Center 25th anniversary celebration, 3:30 p.m., Musselman Library Reading Room.
. Ultimate Frisbee, 4 p.m., Adams Bridge lawn.

Sunday, May 6

. Baccalaureate ceremony, 10:30 a.m., Founders Hall. Dr. Trevor Bechtel, associate professor of religion, will give the baccalaureate address.
. Commencement, 2 p.m., Salzman Stadium. "The Greatest Gift ..." will be the topic of guest speaker Karel B. Oxley, superintendent of Lima City Schools.

For a complete listing of May Day weekend events, and more information, visit www.bluffton.edu/blufftonalumni/mayday/schedule.