Events | From Woody's Couch

Category: Events (page 12 of 13)

Origins of the Taps Ceremony

November 7, 2011 / drobik.5@osu.edu / Comments Off

Taps is played on the Oval, 1942

During World War I, taps was sounded each evening at 4:30 on the Oval as a “goodnight” to the University men in service. After the Armistice was signed, the custom was changed to once a week in memory of those who had died during the war. On Wednesday mornings, taps was played and everyone on campus stopped to pay honor to the servicemen.

This happened weekly until 1963 when the ceremony was changed to a monthly activity. It then became a yearly service and was renamed the Memorial Rock Ceremony. The ceremony is conducted in front of Bricker Hall at the boulder which includes a plaque honoring those who served in World War I. The ceremony is held on or near Veterans Day, November 11, every year.

Veteran's Day ceremony at the Memorial Rock, 1957

This year, on Nov. 3, cadets from the three Ohio State ROTC units (Army, Navy, and Air Force) conducted a 20-minute ceremony outside Bricker Hall, placing a wreath at the rock dedicated to Ohio State’s World War I veterans., Taps was played, followed by a 21-gun salute.

Homecoming: “It’s (always been) a Buckeye World”

October 27, 2011 / drobik.5@osu.edu / Comments Off

1928

Homecoming is a time for celebration, not just for alumni, but for current students as well. Over the years, there have been all kinds of activities in which students have expressed their school pride:

1960

Since at least the 1920s, students at OSU have decorated their houses and dorms in honor of the event. Some of the past decorating themes have been: Huckleberry Hound (a character associated with Yogi Bear, 1959), Disneyland (1960), Heroes (1979), and “Grimm’s Buckeye Tales” (1963). Such themes have produced some truly theatrical decorations, including a giant boot and “Joe Ohio,” inspired by the giant gorilla in the 1998 Disney movie, “Mighty Joe Young.” As parade floats became more popular in the 1970s, the art of decorating Greek houses declined. However, and other campus venues continue to decorated with scarlet and gray.

"Fog Raiser", 1924

Other festivities have included bonfires, dances, and in the 1920s a “Fog Raiser circus” held at the Coliseum at the state fairgrounds. The 1922 event included performances by the Men’s Glee Club, and the Scarlet Mask (a campus theatrical group), as well as dance numbers. Notably, since the venue is suitable for livestock, horses were used in several of the performances, including a jousting competition between several of King Arthur’s knights (the members of Sigma Chi). The military department concluded the event with a mock battle and a chariot race. Unlike the famous scene from “Ben Hur,” there were no reported deaths or injuries.

Filed by C.N.

It’s nearly the big 5-0 for Farm Science Review

September 20, 2011 / drobik.5@osu.edu / Comments Off

Farmer's Week, 1913

The Farm Science Review is nearly 50 years old this year, and it’s actually the resurrection of a prior OSU tradition—Farmer’s Week. They both share a common goal, though: to demonstrate farming technology and discuss developments in the world of agriculture. This year’s Farm Science Review will run from September 20-22.

Farmer's Week, 1910s

Farmer’s Week began in 1913 with the encouragement of none other than University President William Oxley Thompson. The concept had been tried as early as 1881 but proved unsuccessful, for reasons unknown. The event in 1913 was a success, however, and it became an annual event on the Columbus campus through the end of World War II. Farmer’s Week then disappeared for some time, until it was reestablished and renamed the Farm Science Review.

Farm Science Review near Don Scott Field, 1972

The Farm Science Review officially began in 1962, and it was originally held near Don Scott Field. In 1982 the University began looking for a new site: Though the exhibits were in the clear zone of the airport, a small plane crashed into part of an exhibit in 1979. It also was clear by then that commercial development in the area was encroaching and the event would not be able to expand. The University opted to sell some of its Columbus property and move the event elsewhere.

Molly Caren

In August 1982 the University bought the Molly Caren farm, consisting of nearly 1,000 acres in Madison County, to serve as the new home of the Farm Science Review. The land was valued at $2.2 million, but was sold for just $500,000 at the request of the farm’s owner. Caren was an alumnus who had re-enrolled in classes in the College of Agriculture in late 1970s through Program 60, which allows senior citizens to take courses for free. The farm had been in her family since 1812, but she had no heirs, so she sold it to OSU so it would remain intact and the university could use it for agricultural education. It was re-named the Molly Caren Agricultural Center, and the Farm Science Review has been held there since 1983.

Check out http://fsr.osu.edu/ for more information.