Middle Path Day

From KCpedia

The first annual Middle Path Day was in 1970. The idea originated when rumors circulated around campus that the path was going to be paved because the annual cost to maintain it was too high. The threat of eliminating an integral and unique part of the campus motivated students and community members to organize a day when the community would come together to maintain the path. Students, administrators, professors, and Gambier residents came together in an effort to preserve the natural beauty that existed at Kenyon. Funds from the Student Council provided 500 seedlings, and the Harcourt Parish provided refreshments for the volunteers. Even President Caples donated a keg of beer for celebration when the activities were over. Over the course of the day much work was completed. Several large trees were planted along Middle Path, seedlings were planted around parking lots and other areas, strewn gravel was reclaimed and structured on the path, and trash was collected from along the streets and woods in Gambier. In all about 600 people came together for the event, and it became an annual tradition not only to save the college money, but also because it brought the community together.

Resources in the Kenyon College Archives

• Middle Path Day -- collected materials