MOORHEAD – A new holiday tradition was started at Concordia on Tuesday, Dec. 3- a “Tree-mendous” holiday celebration.
The already traditional Christmas Dinner in Anderson Commons kicked off the evening, followed by a hot chocolate and cider bar, pictures with Santa, horse drawn wagon rides, tree lighting and performances by two local high school caroling groups.
The idea was fostered by SGA President and Vice President Grace Halvorson and Daniel Davies, working alongside President Colin Irvine’s office. SGA voted unanimously on Nov. 14 to cover the first-time costs of the event with money from the Special Projects and Initiatives Fund (SPIF).
The event brought together generations of Cobbers and friends. Janet Despard, Director of Dining Services, says Thanksgiving dinner brought in around twelve hundred people, including students. At about 5:45, just over an hour into dinner and with about two hours to go, she expected Christmas dinner to have a larger turnout, estimating around 1,400 to have dined by the end of the night. This number was confirmed at the end of the night by Bill Fradet, assistant director.
Concordia’s total student body numbers are about 1,900.
Exact numbers could not be obtained at the time because of how the Dining Service computers track meal payments. Each time a payment is made counts as one entry, regardless of cost. Thus, a large family all paying together would count as one person in the system while really being multiple.
As dinner went on in Anderson Commons, the Atrium was a frenzy of activities. Kids from the Concordia-affiliated daycare, Cobber Kids, were there with their families for pictures with Santa.
Kids of all ages had their picture taken with Santa against the backdrop and chair SGA set up earlier in the day. Then went away sucking on candy canes and sipping hot cocoa and cider at a food station nearby.
Lori Steedsman, design specialist in Concordia’s Communications and Marketing office, and her husband, Duane, were on campus with their two Haflingers, Chance and Nevada. Haflinger horses are very strong while also being smaller than many horses, typically seen as being among the best breeds for farm work and kids. Slowly, the crowd moved to the doors by the Centrum for wagon rides.
The Steedsmans had their horses decked out for the holidays and volunteered wagon rides from outside the Atrium to Memorial Auditorium, west toward Hoyum, between Olin and Hoyum and back around the north end of the Carl B. Ylvisaker library. Riders could be heard laughing and singing holiday tunes throughout the loop.
As Steedsman drove the path from the Bell Tower to Memorial Auditorium, one group sang, “He got into a drifted bank, and we, we got upsot.” They found the words to ring true moments later when they drove into a snowbank.
While Steedsman, driving up front, took the ordeal with little reaction, passengers were laughing and shrieking with joy as they went off the path and ended up slightly stuck at an angle with one side of the wagon higher than the other.
After moving forward and backward several times with small adjustments, Steedsman led her horses back onto the path they had strayed from. Cheers erupted from the wagon, which tilted at a more severe angle as the horses picked up speed before leveling out upon returning to the path.
The rides would continue throughout the evening, but paused briefly at 7:25 as the Moorhead High Carolers lead Cobbers outside Knutson to the tree lighting ceremony
As everyone gathered around the tree, Irvine spoke of the hope and joy the lit tree would symbolize through the dark months of winter.
The tree, he said, would be “a sign of hope, a reminder that we can do hard things. On this corner of campus, as the cars go by, this will be a reminder that we are a light for our community.”
Calling on Concordia’s Lutheran heritage, he reminded everyone of the joyous event to come.
“And most importantly, at this season, it is a reminder that Jesus comes into our hearts each year, each day, into our lives,” Irvine said.
As the tree was lit up the Moorhead High Carolers began singing “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” to a cheering crowd. When they wrapped up several songs later with the audience singing along to “Silent Night”, wagon rides began again, and Cobbers dispersed either back to the line or into the warmth of the Atrium and the hot chocolate and cider stand.
Not half an hour later, the Oak Grove High School Carolers arrived and began singing outside the Centrum. The crowd leaving Anderson Commons for the night stopped to listen.
After a combination of traditional religious and secular songs, director Sam Randl had the group bring the evening nearly to a close in the same way it started with “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.”
Halvorson and Davies expressed pleasure with the turn out. Halvorson reflected on the Cobber family aspect
“It was really fun to have the carolers here, and then an awesome dinner at Anderson Commons, and Santa was so fun with all the Cobber Kids kids,” she said. “As we go into Christmas concert and finals season, the Tree-mendous Holiday Celebration was just the joy that Cobbers needed.”
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