Tens of thousands of people woke up Saturday (April 23) not knowing what to expect as they headed to campus, but what they found was both surprising and familiar.
The 108th Picnic Day, the first held in person since 2019, drew families, alumni, students and community members for research exhibits, performances and other events, food and the warmest weather in weeks.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 really have a good concept of what everything was going to be like until yesterday or this morning,鈥 said Amanda Long, a senior microbiology major attending her first Picnic Day, having transferred to 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis when the event was held online. She serves as president of the Microbiology Club, which organized an event in the Sciences Laboratory Building to teach people about microscopic life.
She marveled at the size of Picnic Day: 鈥淭here鈥檚 so many people.鈥
The scale of the event could be seen all over campus, from long lines for attractions like the petting zoo and cow-milking at the Cole Facility, food trucks and Bodega Marine Laboratory鈥檚 鈥淭ouch Tanks鈥 to the packed bleachers in the University Credit Union Center for the Doxie Derby (another 2,200 people tuned in to the livestream).
The largest student-run event in the nation
Chancellor Gary S. May praised the work of the students who planned this year鈥檚 in-person event and the virtual Picnic Days held in 2020 and 2021.
鈥淧icnic Day has been a definitive event at 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis for more than a century, and it couldn鈥檛 feel better to have it back in person,鈥 he said before the start of the parade. 鈥淚 know that the founders of Picnic Day in 1909 would be so incredibly thrilled about what鈥檚 happening today. Our world has gone through so many ups and downs over time, but Picnic Day has endured.鈥
Amanda Portier, chair of the Picnic Day board of directors and a senior community and regional development major, said she was 鈥渂lown away鈥 by the turnout and praised the teamwork of the 15 board members and other volunteers.
鈥淟eading up to the event, we knew the anticipation was big and could sense how much this meant to people, but seeing the impact 鈥 the joy it brought 鈥 was just so special and something we couldn鈥檛 possibly imagine beforehand,鈥 she said today (April 26). 鈥淗aving the opportunity to rekindle the Picnic Day community back in person was a once-in-a-lifetime experience I am so grateful for.鈥
So much to see
This year鈥檚 crowds didn鈥檛 keep attendees from enjoying themselves. Jason Dinh 鈥05 said this weekend was his first-ever Picnic Day because he was always working or visiting family when he was an undergrad. This time, he and his wife brought along their two children, who marveled at an oyster and a crab from the Bodega Marine Laboratory. Dinh described the day as 鈥減erfect.鈥
Victoria Mattsson, a first-year environmental science and management major volunteering at the Aggie Reuse Store鈥檚 eco-printing activity, said she was surprised at how large Picnic Day was and how many families it drew.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really lively,鈥 she said over the sound of participants hammering the impression of flowers from the Student Farm onto fabric.
Elsewhere, attendees crisscrossed the Quad wearing paper dinosaur hats or toting tomato plants. The 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis Police Department鈥檚 K-9 Charlie was a hit, with one student exclaiming that she was 鈥渢ouching royalty鈥 as she petted the Labrador/border collie mix and posed for a photo.
While this was the first in-person Picnic Day for many, , it was a familiar return for others.
鈥淚鈥檝e been to at least 40,鈥 said Roberta Bennett, who grew up in Davis and meets with fellow Davis High School band alumni at Picnic Day. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like coming home.鈥
Kurt Lomgenbaugh, one of those Davis High School alumni, traveled from Alameda for the event and marveled at another example of things returning to the way they were prior to the coronavirus pandemic. He said he had been attending Picnic Day since he was about 4 years old, adding that the parade is always a highlight.
The parade, with its traditional route from campus into downtown Davis and back, emphasizes the connection between university and city.
鈥淲e have the same center of gravity today,鈥 Lomgenbaugh said.
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Cody Kitaura is a News and Media Relations Specialist in the Office of Strategic Communications, and can be reached by email or at 530-752-1932.