The air was crisp and the moon was shining on Oct. 16 on Iler field, which was filled with students waiting to hear Dr. James Jordan share the history of Longwood. Jordan’s bonfire is a longstanding tradition at Longwood, and the event typically has a full audience.
“I’ve heard it 12-13 times. The way Dr. Jordan tells students the history is inspiring (and it) makes Longwood special,” said John Hogge, Longwood's interim director of audio-visual media who attended the event.
The majority of the stories were about alumni, events before the establishment of Oktoberfest and Joan of Arc, fondly called "Joanie on a Stonie" by students, who is located in Ruffner.
One story Dr. Jordan told was about how Longwood was established in 1839 as Farmville Female Seminary Association. The school was then reestablished as Farmville College in 1884, then changed in 1949 to Longwood College.
One tradition that Farmville College had was Circus. Circus was where many organizations competed for a grand prize of 25 cents until it was canceled due to the Great Depression. However, Dr. Jarman was able to reestablish Circus 1931.
It wasn’t until 1965 that Mortar Board was able to bring Oktoberfest to Longwood. Oktoberfest was and is a time for students to relax, enjoy activities and get to know the different organizations on campus.
Before the stories began, the following spirit days were explained to the students: Monday was Longwood apparel, Tuesday was Extra-Terrestrial, Wednesday was Oktoberfest shirt, Thursday was Purple out (in support of Alzheimer’s walk) and Friday was class color day.
There are many unique traditions at Longwood; the bonfire with Dr. Jordan being one of those. The bonfire reminds students of Longwood’s history and how things have changed around campus.
