Happy 125th birthday!

WWU marks 125th anniversary with day-long celebration on Thursday, Dec. 7

On Dec. 7, 2017, Walla Walla University will mark the 125th anniversary of the first day of classes on campus in 1892. Since that day, WWU has expanded from a single building in College Place, Washington, to five campuses across the Pacific Northwest. The university will celebrate with the Walla Walla Valley community with a variety of events throughout the day.

Birthday commemoration service
At 8:30 a.m., a birthday commemoration service will be held in front of the WWU Administration Building, 204 S. College Avenue, College Place. All are invited to join WWU students, faculty, and staff to celebrate as they did on the first day of classes in 1892 with songs, prayer, and the ringing of the college bell.

Bowers Hall open house
At noon, a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house with self-guided tours and refreshments will be held at Bowers Hall, Fourth Street and Davis Avenue, College Place. Bowers Hall is the newly renovated home of the WWU School of Business. Work on the $4 million year-long revitalization project has involved a variety of Walla Walla-area businesses, including: Opp & Seibold General Contractor Inc., Walla Walla Electric, Alden Plumbing/Advanced Plumbing, Grassi Refrigeration, Modern Masonry, Narum Concrete, Conner’s Flooring & Design, A-Sharpe Painting, Perfection/Yale Glass, Gillespie Roofing, Smith Brothers Landscaping, AKey Excavating, Systematic Wood Design, Colfield Framing, and Smith Insulation.

Birthday party lunch
At noon in Kellogg Hall, the campus dining hall, a birthday celebration will feature vegetarian apricot chicken and other favorites along with birthday cake. Also, Yogi burgers will be $1.25 off all day at The Express, 406 S. College Ave., College Place.

Winterfest parade, Christmas tree lighting, and fireworks
At 5:30 p.m., WWU will join with the City of College Place for the College Place Winterfest parade on College Avenue from 10th Street to Whitman Drive. The parade will feature WWU president John McVay and the WWU mascot, Wally the Wolf, with a variety of additional participants.

Following the parade at 6:10 p.m., the Winterfest will continue with a Christmas tree lighting at College Place City Hall. There will be hot cocoa, music, entertainment, WWU birthday cupcakes, and more.

At 7:30 p.m., a fireworks display will conclude the Winterfest events. The fireworks launching site will be the open field on Fourth Street in College Place across from the University Church.

Alumni Center open house
During the evening, from 4:30 to 7 p.m., an open house at the Havstad Alumni Center, 24 SW Fourth St., College Place, will feature festive refreshments and a warm environment.

All events are free and open to the public. Learn more about the WWU 125th anniversary celebration at wallawalla.edu/125.

Posted Nov. 17, 2017