The University of Wisconsin’s Memorial Union building celebrates its 75th anniversary in October. The Wisconsin Union staff has planned an eventful schedule of festivities set to begin this Saturday and continue through June 2004 to commemorate the occasion.
To begin the anniversary celebration, the Terrace Chairs on the Town exhibit will be unveiled to the public this Saturday.
Reminiscent of Chicago’s “Cows on Parade” in 1999, twelve oversized terrace chairs, each standing nearly six feet tall, were decorated by local artists. The chairs will be displayed starting at 4:00 p.m. Saturday at the Union. Visitors will then have a chance to meet with the artists who designed the chairs.
Following the unveiling, the chairs will then be moved to locations across campus where they will remain until the summer of 2004. The locations include Memorial Union, Union South, Bascom Hill and the Kohl Center.
On the weekend of Oct. 3, Memorial Union will host several special events for students and the community. Saturday, Oct. 4, the band Black Elephant will perform live in the Rathskellar, and students will be invited to participate in trivia and games. At midnight, a late night breakfast will be served.
Sunday, Oct. 5, will host a Packer party in the Union for students and community members with food and prize drawings taking place at halftime of the game.
The Babcock Dairy’s flavor lineup will expand as the winner is announced, adding the favorite of the five finalists in the Ice Cream Jubilee.
The Memorial Union building has served as a focal point of the day-to-day activities of Wisconsin students for 75 years. The organization of the Wisconsin Union in the early 1900s was a landmark achievement reached by students and alumni at the time, and a permanent home for the organization was achieved with Memorial Union’s completion on October 5, 1928. The Union has been a UW campus landmark and a photogenic centerpiece, as well as a hub of student activity and cultural expansion since its doors first opened.
“I met one of my best friends at Memorial Union,” said UW sophomore Nicolette Larmee. “Last year at Welcome Week, the comedian we were watching told everybody to stroke the person sitting next to [him or her]’s cheek, and that got her and I talking.” Many other students have had similar experiences.
“The Union has everything from pool tables to ice cream to lessons on the cha-cha,” said UW freshman Lauren Carey. “It’s a great place to meet people.”
Originally conceived as a men’s club, Memorial Union quickly evolved to serve the needs of all UW students and community members.
Over the years, Memorial Union has grown with the completion of several major additions, including the Wisconsin Union Theater in 1939, the Lakefront Cafeteria in 1949, and the expansion of Memorial Union Terrace in 1987.
The clubs and organizations that make use of Memorial Union’s facilities allow for recreational outlets, while the Union Theater and Mini-Courses expand students’ cultural experiences on campus.
“We pride ourselves on being an integral part of the educational mission of the University, and we’ll strive to demonstrate that [in the future],” said Wisconsin Union director Mark Guthier in a press release this spring.
In an interview, Guthier also said he expects the Union to continue adapting and fulfilling both student and community needs in the future.
