Peabody is the building, Jack is the dog, and I'm Dean J (she/her, btw).
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When prospective students and parents ask us about our favorite traditions, Lighting of the Lawn tends to be on the list. This is a community event that started after 9/11 to bring some joy to the UVA Grounds. The event has gotten larger and more elaborate over the years with all kinds of dance and vocal performances, a class poem, and a dance party (with a drone show last year!) at the end.
Here's a 2-minute look at the event, including some behind-the-scenes footage!
This year's Lighting of the Lawn theme is Remix: A Quarter of Century of Light. You can join us via a livestream starting at 7 PM.
My personal favorite show was in 2014, when we didn't think they'd be able to light of the Rotunda because it was fenced off and covered in scaffolding for a restoration project. There were lights...and then they added more lights...and still more lights. It was amazing!
btw: Don't miss the class poem at 8:40 PM! Yours truly got to read the poem a few years ago along with UVA football coach Tony Elliot, Julie Caruccio (AVP for Research and the mounted Cavalier mascot), and economics professor Ken Elzinga. It was a blast!
I've been a little quiet on the blog lately. My personal goal for this week is not to read on Thanksgiving Day as I have in year'spast, so I wasn't posting much on social media for the last week. I'm always happy to reply to requests for help, even if a blog post is a few days old, though. Please don't hesitate to post your questions in the comments.
Our office will close on Tuesday at 5 PM and reopen on Monday, November 27th at 8:30 AM. We will not have any tours or information sessions during the break. If you are planning a visit to Charlottesville during this time, please keep in mind that the UVA vs. Virginia Tech football game will be on Friday evening. Traffic is apt to be heavy on Friday and Saturday morning as Hokies and Hoos from all over will be in town for the big game.
By the way, did you know that plenty of students don't go home for Thanksgiving? Students can sign up to attend one of several Thanksgiving dinner parties that happen both on and off Grounds. If you're a current student who wasn't aware of this, there are still spots open if you'd like to have attend a dinner!
When student ask any member of the UVA community about favorite traditions, Lighting of the Lawn (LOTL) inevitably comes up. This tradition started just after 9/11 in 2001 as a way to bring us all together for an uplifting event just before we move into the exam period.
This year's LOTL is especially exciting because the Rotunda is back open after two years of historic restoration. I can't wait to see the performances, hear the annual poem, and see the light show tonight. You can follow along at home by watching the livestream from 7 PM until 10 PM on the Lighting of the Lawn website.
If you want to get an idea of what you're going to see tonight, check out these videos...
I love being asked about favorite UVA traditions and it happens pretty regularly. Most of the students with whom I interact already know the basics about UVA. They want to know some of the things that don't get written done or what doesn't come across in college guides and websites. I always wind up talking about student self-governance, the Hoo Crew and Marching Bands, the club fair, and the event that is happening tonight, the Lighting of the Lawn.
The Lighting of the Lawn started in 2001 as a way to bring the University together after a solemn fall semester. The tradition has continued and it marks our transition into reading days and final exams. Over the years, the event has become more elaborate, with students, faculty, facilities, and administration collaborating to make LOTL a special memory for all of us.
The Lighting of the Lawn starts around 7 PM with performances by several (dozens?) different choral and a cappella groups. After the reading of a poem that greets each class and recaps the past year, there is a countdown to the "flipping of the switch." For the first time ever, you can watch the LOTL from home via a life stream. Check out the Lighting of the Lawn website for the link.
With scaffolding on the Rotunda due to a restoration project, the committee has been pretty creative in recent years. Some people didn't even think they'd get lights on the physical building.
We're in the thick of the Early Action review and at the same time, our students are moving into their exam period. For a little over a decade, we've taken a break from the papers and exams to come together for the Lighting of the Lawn.
The Lighting of the Lawn started in 2001 as a way to bring our community together after a difficult semester. Each Lighting of the Lawn since has consisted of performances by a cappella groups, the reading of a poem that recaps major events of the year, the singing of The Good Old Song with the Cavalier Marching Band, and then the main event - the lighting of the buildings along the Lawn.
The Rotunda is in the middle of a massive, two-year restoration process. Many assumed the lighting would be on the opposite end of the Lawn, but the committee surprised us all!
When the subject of UVa traditions comes up, we often find ourselves talking about our vernacular (Grounds vs. campus, First Year vs. freshman), ourpenchantforsinging, or our passion for Jefferson. There are plenty of other traditions, though, and I thought I'd share a video that gives you a peek into one that you probably wouldn't hear about until you got to Grounds.
