š Your Reunion Countdown Has Begun
Welcome Home. Youāve waited years for this.
We know this Reunion weekend is extra specialābecause itās been a long time coming. After missing the chance to gather in 2020, this year marks your first time reuniting since 2015 (or, for our Classes of 2015 and 2020, the first time ever), and we couldnāt be more excited to welcome you back to the Hill.
This newsletter kicks off our Reunion seriesāeach edition will help you make the most of your weekend with event previews, planning tips, and fun behind-the-scenes details. We hope these notes add to the anticipation and help you feel celebrated even before you arrive.
So dust off your yearbooks, practice your Um! Yah! Yah!, reach out to your classmates, dig out your black and gold, and get ready to celebrate what connects usāpast, present, and future.
See you soon,
The Alumni & Parent Relations Team
Ellen Draeger Cattadoris ’07, Joshua Lee, Kate Kaufman, Luke Kopnick, Madi Rappe, and Liz Sandberg
Reunion Weekend is almost here, and weāre on track to welcome over 1,400 alumni and guests! š
Thereās still time for your friends to join youāwhether itās for the full weekend or just one day. Remind them that they can choose from flexible packages:
- All-Weekend with On-Campus Housing
- All-WeekendāNo Housing
- Friday Social and Entertainment Package
- All-Saturday Package
- Saturday Reunion Dinner and Entertainment Package
- Saturday Celebration Lunch and Campus Programming Package
- Golden OlesāĆ La Carte Options
š² Invite a Friend + Register Here
Class Toast and Social
Kick-off the weekend by raising a glass with your classmates. Then, take your crew on a progressive culinary journey through Buntrock Commons, savoring delicious food and drink along the way!
The Big Chair
Designed and built on campus by St. Olafās own Steve Zubik, this oversized wooden chair quickly became a photo favorite and a student hangout. Snap a group shot or a solo throwback moment!
Container Pubs
Get your refreshments from three container pubs featuring local tap beer from Imminent and Tanzenwald Breweries, wine, seltzer, a signature cocktail + mocktail, and other NA options. Open Friday evening, Saturday afternoon and evening during entertainment hours.
Yoga
Start your Saturday morning with a calming, all-levels yoga session in Skoglund led by Heidi Henriksen Amouta ā07. Bring your own matālimited mats available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Reunion Recess
Come down on Saturday morning to Skoglund and Tostrud to get in a quick tennis match, a few laps in the pool, or trot on a fun run led by Assistant Track and Cross Country coach Luke Kopnick.
Swag for Every Guest
Every registrant gets a shiny swag ticket to redeem at the Ole Shop. Choose from some great new merchābut donāt wait, the most popular items go fast!
The Flair Bar
Personalize your lanyard at our on-site flair bar! Buttons, badges, and moreājust the thing to show off your Ole spirit.
Haunted Hill Tour
Bring your flashlight (or have your phone charged up) and join Greg Kneser for an evening walking tour with spooky stories, unexplained events, and campus folklore thatās been whispered about for decades.
St. Olaf Avenue Open Houses
Tour the newest residential spaces from the 2022 Ole Avenue Project and peek inside New Hallāour newest dormitory.
Silent Disco
Head to the campus green on Friday and Saturday nights and grab a pair of headphones to (silently) dance to your pick of three DJ stations, each with music from a different era!
Weāre making sure your Reunion weekend is smooth and funāno more waiting in line for drinks when you could be enjoying all the excitement on campus! To simplify your experience, weāll be offering drink tokens and souvenir cups for pre-purchase, allowing you to pick them up at the Ole Shop when you arrive. Stay tuned for the launch of our pre-purchase platform coming in the next newsletterāthis will be your chance to secure your drink token package and souvenir cup before you even get to campus.
This is your golden momentā50 years since you ran to Boe Chapel in a deluge of rain, and now itās time to come back and celebrate all that connects you to St. Olaf and each other.
You have a full weekend of meaningful moments, exclusive gatherings, and joyful reconnection ahead, including:
- Private Thursday evening Welcome Reception.
- Following the Welcome Reception, head to Ytterboe Lounge for Arts Cafe with music, memories, and open-mic fun! Join classmates for a cozy, come-as-you-are gathering featuring songs, poems, stories, jokesāand āOle Oldiesā from your house band led by Yata Peinovich and Jim Morgenstern.
- Service of Remembrance in Boe Chapel, followed by your class photo. We are looking for more classmates to join the choral ensemble for Fridayās Service of Remembrance, led by Jenny King Nolan ā75. All are welcomeāalumni, spouses, partners, and friends.
- Welcome Lunch in the Buntrock Ballrooms.
- Join us in Tomson 280 to hear three Ole Talks featuring some of your 1975 classmates and faculty/staff speakers.
- Affinity Group Gatheringsāconnect with classmates who shared your Hill experiences (Paracollege, Music, Theater, Kildahl, Hoyme, and more)
This is more than a milestoneāit’s your time to reflect, reconnect, and be celebrated.
All the details for your reunion are found in our schedule of events.
Want to perform a song, poem, story, or joke at the Arts Cafe? Email Yata Peinovich at yatasp@gmail.com to sign up.
Help us create a beautiful Service of Remembrance tribute together. Email Jenny at jennyn@san.rr.com and include your vocal section if you know it (Soprano I/II, Alto I/II, Tenor I/II, Baritone, or Bass).
We canāt wait to celebrate and welcome you home.
Gifts made through the St. Olaf Fund support financial aid, student support services, and everything that makes the St. Olaf experience powerful. If you already gave during registration, thank you! If you missed that opportunity, no problem! Start celebrating your reunion today and make your gift! https://wp.stolaf.edu/giving/
Reunion is an amazing way to reconnect with past experiences on the Hill. The history of St. Olaf is not one story, but many ā and we want to hear yours as we conclude our yearlong celebration of the college’s Sesquicentennial!! SHARE YOUR STORY THE COLLEGE IS TURNING 150!