The Colonial Williamsburg Welcome Returns
The event reappeared on the orientation agenda this year after a decade-long hiatus. I sat down with Lauren Garrett to dig into its history, peek into its future, and ultimately answer the question: Why did it go away?
As a three-time Orientation Aide, I thought I’d seen and done it all, I didn’t even need to look at this year’s schedule when it dropped — I already knew what was on it. But I did look, and when I saw “Colonial Williamsburg Welcome” on the agenda, I was stumped. In orientation training, it was revealed that this year marked the return of the Colonial Williamsburg event after a decade-long hiatus. We were instructed to meet in Merchant’s Square and were told that the event would include a myriad of activities for new students. We returning OAs had no idea what to expect. The day arrived, and every new student packed into Merchant’s Square, anxiously awaiting the start of a new event about which their OAs could offer little insight. The OAs themselves were equally excited and anxious –– unlike the routine events which run year after year, we couldn’t prepare for this.
A reenactor ascended the steps to a nearby house on Duke of Gloucester Street and addressed the restless crowd, taking on the persona of a ‘Nation Builder’. He spoke of freedom and liberty, but also of the bright minds educated at the College who are charged with bringing this founding vision to life. New students were on the edge of something great, about to join a collection of revolutionary intellectuals whose legacy spans centuries. The speech was certainly a novel way to begin an orientation event, conjuring both sentiments of patriotism and school pride, a special kind of charm. The address closed with instructions to follow the Fifes and Drums in a procession toward the Governor’s Palace. And follow we did, in what was arguably one of the most awe-inspiring experiences of orientation. Walking alongside some of my closest friends, leading my final cohort of new students, escorted by the iconic Fife and Drum, I felt connected to the history of our college, our city, and our nation in a way I never had before. Without a doubt, it was an experience I’ll tell my grandkids about someday.
The music died down as the herds were released upon the Palace Green, and its nearby historical reenactors, who had clearly been preparing for this moment, came to life. The mission of CW, “that the future may learn from the past,” truly came alive, with students, new and old, diving head-first into hands-on experiences.
One group of reenactors offered a lesson on the partnered dancing of colonial America; students and OAs alike scrambled to join the line, which ended up spanning the entire length of Green. I couldn’t help but find this reaction uniquely TWAMP-y — to not only have an interest in something as niche as colonial-era partner dancing, but to grab your friends and run towards it. I filmed my co-OA as he joined a colonial drum circle, spurred on by another troupe of reenactors; some of my students filed into a booth offering information on volunteer and work opportunities in CW. Everywhere I looked, I saw smiles, and everywhere I listened, laughter. A community experience of childlike wonder and curiosity, the willingness to learn something new, to fail at it, and to try again. Watching new students and old unabashedly immerse themselves in what many Gen Alpha middle schoolers might consider “cringey” (if that’s a word they even still use), I was once again reminded of how special this College is and the student body it attracts.
After what felt like all too short a time to explore the offerings, we gathered on the Palace Green for a number of moving speeches by reenactors, urging students to continue exploring CW throughout their time here and examining what the past can teach us. We were also treated to remarks by Clifford Fleet B.A. ‘91, M.A. ‘93, J.D. ‘95, MBA ‘95, President and CEO of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
During orientation training, we had been told that the night would “end with a bang.” At 8:30 p.m., on a random Saturday in August, CW set off a fireworks display that rivaled their annual and infamous Grand Illumination, and they did it just for us.
I walked away from my first and last Colonial Williamsburg Welcome, sad that it had been missing from my past three years, but also filled with immense gratitude that I could be present for its return. Reflecting on the seemingly magical night, which I do with relative frequency, I can’t help but wonder what happened — why did it disappear? And will it stick around this time? Scrambling to preserve my connection to orientation, something I will miss profoundly post-graduation, I set out to memorialize the history of the Colonial Williamsburg Welcome and understand what is in its future. I reached out to the only person I knew would have the answers I needed: Lauren Garrett ‘02, M.A., Director of Student Transition and Engagement Programs, who is more casually known as the queen of the College’s orientation.
“The Colonial Williamsburg program that was typically held during orientation has always ebbed and flowed,” she said. Garrett recalls the event from her orientation, admitting, “I can remember this event, and I remember it started at half past six, but I remember it being hotter than all get out. And I remember being so miserable and at the same time thinking it was really cool.” Even now, it is unclear whether the event continued for the duration of her undergraduate experience. “I was an RA sophomore and junior year, and I was a head resident for Botetourt my senior year. I don't remember the Colonial Williamsburg event happening those years. I have no recollection, there is nothing in my scrapbook, and yet I was present during orientation because I was an RA. So I'm asking my brain, like, is it selective memory? Did it not happen? I can't find proof that it happened.”
In her recounting of the Colonial Williamsburg Welcomes of the past, the event looked much different than it had this year. “We sat on the Palace Green, they did this talking, there was a refreshment stand, and then it just sort of dissipated,” said Garrett. “We were led out of the Palace Green by the Fife and Drum, which is still cool, but at the same point in time, many people had already left to go back to the Sunken Garden, so not as cool.” This explains why new students were processed in rather than out of the event this year. Garrett also observed, “It felt a little weird as a student, like, oh, we had to get here on our own, and now you're leading us away?” Rather than the pomp and circumstance to welcome students into CW, her event seemed to end with a big ‘get out!’, though she acknowledges that it likely wasn’t the intended message, stating “things just looked different.”
When she returned to the College over twelve years ago, “orientation had already happened for that academic year based on [her] hiring date, and that year, they had to cancel the CW connection” due to a Williamsburg trademark downpour. The following years brought similar weather, ending also in cancellations of the big event. “It felt like the weather was out to get us, and so of course, you know, after a while you're like, why do we keep trying this if it doesn't work?” She recalls an attempt to bring that Colonial Williamsburg charm back to orientation in a weather-proof way, inviting a Patrick Henry reenactor to greet new students and their families following a community dinner. “The problem was that people didn't stay to listen to Patrick Henry.” After repeated failed attempts at reviving the event, and concurrent organizational shifts at Colonial Williamsburg, the program “unfortunately just sort of fizzled out.”
The question remains: Who breathed new life into the Colonial Williamsburg Welcome? There are a few key players, Garrett certainly among them. She identifies Amy Ritchie, Community Affairs Manager at the CWF, as the catalyst. “Amy Ritchie reached out to me because she was new in her role and said, ‘How do we get William and Mary back down here?’ She heard that I worked with new students and wanted to know if there was anything Colonial Williamsburg could do with that.”
Garrett was unaware that CWF had a new hire looking to connect back to the College, but she jumped on the opportunity to reinvigorate new students’ relationship with CW. “As Amy and I were talking, she was like, well, we have an alum who works for CW, who loves to do big events. Let me see if he might be able, come up with something.” This alum happened to be William “Bill” Schermerhorn ‘82, who previously ran the Macy’s Day Thanksgiving Parade for over three decades. He is currently working on the VA250 campaign, designing the events that will celebrate our state’s 250th anniversary.
Regarding the creative process, Garrett recalls, “Bill was like, oh, we could come up with some of this, something like this, and he really took the ball and ran. We talked a little bit about what I remembered from freshman year. We talked a little bit about what fits into the schedule, how much is too much, and what's not enough. His love for William and Mary and his love for CW just had this perfect kismet moment and made it all happen.”
The brainchild of Ritchie, Schermerhorn, and Garrett, the Colonial Williamsburg Welcome signaled a new beginning for the relationship between CW and orientation; planning is already underway for next year’s big event. “It felt very comprehensive, and we're looking forward to next year because there is the potential that we can have students tour some of the historical sites, depending on where they fall along the palace. We're talking about refreshments, like, what can we bring out?” Most importantly for Garrett, the fireworks must stay. “I have to say that was my big ask, is that if we're gonna ask students to stay down here, we need something. And I think the fireworks were pretty fan-flipping-tastic. I mean, it was a huge show. It was really, really great. And I will say, that has been my biggest request coming back for a second year is, if we're gonna do this, I think that is a piece that we need to continue because it did really cap off the night so nicely, it did tie a nice little bow, and it felt really appropriate to what was happening.”
The Colonial Williamsburg Welcome was many things — a fun event to fill an already-packed orientation schedule, a unique experience of the College, a step back in time — but ultimately it marked the opening of a door to new students. “I know that one thing we've talked about is the good neighbor pass, like how do we encourage students to go down and get theirs, right? It takes a little time to process those and do all of that, though, and so that evening, unfortunately, isn't the night to do that. But it does open up the door for a student to feel more comfortable making their way down there, because if nothing else, it's a ‘do you remember when we’ moment?” [Author’s advice: Go get your pass at the ticket office in CW, it’s the best way to escape when exams get you down.]
Our College is special; those who come here belong here and know that it’s special. One of the many things that makes it so is our proximity to and relationship with CW. No other university has what we do. The Colonial Williamsburg Welcome showed our new students exactly that, and I must admit that I see my students from this past year walking in CW more often than any other hall I’ve had previously. The Welcome showed new students that CW is right here! And it’s for everyone — including you! “Colonial Williamsburg is everyone's place. It's not just for tourists, it's not just locals.”
Of similar importance, no other college has a Lauren Garrett, and I would like to thank her sincerely, not only for the chance to ask my questions, but also for the orientation experiences I have been a part of in my past four years. LG — orientation has shaped me from the first moment I stepped on campus, and I don’t know who I would be today without my three years as an OA.
I will miss this university with a depth that I can’t quite put into words, and if I could do it all over again, I would. Flat Hat Magazine has also been an important part of my college experience in ways that I never anticipated, so I extend a heartfelt thank you to the staff, past and present, for allowing me to be a part of this organization. Disregarding my sentimental senior ramblings, if there is only one thing that you take away from the article, please let it be this: Don’t take for granted what Williamsburg has to offer, because you will find nowhere else like it.
