crowds swarm at the P-Rade
This year was my first year to make it to the legendary Princeton Reunions, and they completely lived up to the hype. The festivities kicked off Thursday night, with parties and bands under all the tents. We were staying in Pyne, which shares its courtyard with the 5th reunion, always the rowdiest and latest-partying tent, where the music and revelry sounds late into the night…and into the next morning.
Malcolm, class of 1925 reigns over the P-Rade
Saturday I attended the annual alumni rugby match, because Josh was playing for the current team, which each year challenges the returning alums for a friendly game. For the first time in a few years the current team fell to the alums (mostly because the champion 2004 team was back for the 5th reunion). During the day was the highly-anticipated P-Rade, which lasted from 2-5 (which can give you an idea of how many alums there were on campus). The P-Rade was led by the 25th, but afterward alums (and their families) marched in descending age, beginning with the oldest alumnus, Malcolm, class of 1925, who had the honor of carrying the silver cane and riding in a golf cart. Most of the oldest guys ride alongside a current student in a cart, but a surprising number of guys from the 1930’s classes proudly walked the whole way, joining in the Princeton Locomotive cheer and stopping only to clink beer cans in a toast with students on the sidelines. The P-Rade was a whirlwind of Princeton spirit and ridiculousness, from the class of ‘59’s “Tipsy Tiger Trolley” and ‘69’s “Magical Mystery Mobile” (blaring “Yellow Submarine” of course) to various decked-out vehicles, costumes, signs, banners, and music. A particularly touching section was the class of ’44, who back for their 65th, honored the 89% of their class who served in WWII with army jeeps, signs, a military band, uniforms, and large faceboards of classmates who died in battle. Lastly, the class of 2009 stormed onto Poe Field for the grand finale.
seniors charge onto Poe field
The grand finale of reunions themselves was no disappointment either. At night after the P-Rade, the orchestra played on the baseball field as the sun set, and when the lighting was finally right, the fireworks show began. It was honestly, and surprisingly, one of the best I’ve ever seen, with 30 minutes of fireworks, in every shape, color, and variety, aptly choreographed to music selected to represent the different themes of the reunions.
fireworks at the end of Reunions
A reunions wristband grants entry into all of the various tents across campus, each of which hosts a class of honor (5th, 10th, 15th, 20th, etc.) and the surrounding classes. It seems like for the first 5-10 years or so lots of people come back every year, and after that it thins out so that a few people still come back for their off-years, but the biggest crowds return for the years of honor. I made it my personal mission to try to visit all of the reunions, both to compare the scenes at each of the tents scattered across and to collect the souvenir cups at each tent, which match the themes.
Highlights and tents:
5th—2004 pleads the fifth (prison-type theme…costumes were orange and black jumpsuits and dresses)
10th—Tentucky derby
15th—Smells like fifteen spirit
20th—Juggling it all and having a ball (circus themed costumes. Appropriate as this tent had one of the highest concentrations of children)
25th—1984 thanks the academy
30th—Show your stripes (one of my favorites: a paper mache tiger and a popcorn machine!)
35th—Rock Stars and Stripes (home to some frightening hanging heads of rock legends, for example Tina Turner)
40th—Magical Mystery Tour (lots of yin yangs here, and some good cover bands)
45th—’64 Evermore
50th—I couldn’t determine a theme, but these guys had some of the greatest Princeton blazers
To my great disappointment, in the whirlwind weekend, I was unable to make it to the furthest reunions—the 55th, which was at the stadium, and the 60th, 65th, and Old Guard, in Forbes…a shame because I’ve heard these are some of the most entertaining. It’s already on my to do list for next year.