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Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

A long time coming as students and their families get to connect on campus for Back to Bates, Part One

By Bates College

October 8^th, 2021

Not since October 2019 has Bates been able to open the campus for a family weekend, but when we did, it was cooperation on all fronts — a beautiful early-fall campus, community energy, and fellowship among friends and family.

The college's traditional homecoming weekend — its name dates to 1920 — Back to Bates has two parts this year. Family Day came first, to be followed by Big Game Saturday later in the month, featuring the Bates-Colby football game plus other events.

Here's how Part One went down!

Shabbat Shalom

The Bates Jewish Union sponsored a gathering at sundown on Friday, Oct. 1, for its members and parents to celebrate the Jewish Sabbath that kicked off Back to Bates: Family Day.

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Checking In on Saturday

Registration was the first stop of the day as family members stopped by the check-in desk in front of Coram Library on the Historic Quad. There, they picked up name tags, confirmed registrations, and could ask college staff questions about the day’s activities.

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

They're Singing, Rain or Shine

Students and families were asked to keep their eyes and ears open for pop up surprises around campus. Eager audiences lined up as Bates a cappella groups performed throughout the morning in front of Hathorn and Pettengill halls. First up: the ManOps swept their devoted audience off its feet.

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

More Unannounced Vocal Surprises

The Merimanders wowed them in front of Pettengill Hall, as the Deansmen shone in the Hathorn spotlight.

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Cats, Coffee, and College Leaders

Parents gathered in a tent on the Library Quad for coffee, tea, and a Bobcat chat, spending time with other families.

They heard from President Clayton Spencer and members of her senior team, Vice President for Campus Life Josh McIntosh and Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty Malcolm Hill, during an informal Q&A.

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Visits, Tours, and Walks

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Enjoying Each Other's Company

Beyond organized events, students and their families found opportunities to sit, walk, and listen.

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Family Portraits

A photographer's dream: Do you mind if I make a portrait?

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Getting Grilled

Those on campus had a chance to reserve tickets to refuel with a tasty outdoor BBQ lunch, and to get to know other Bates families.

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

The Heartbreak of a Close Game

The Wesleyan Cardinals edged the Bates football team 27–24 during an action-packed contest at Garcelon Field.

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

A Staged Performance and Response

Students perform Taiko, a form of ensemble drumming originating in Japan but now presented by groups across North America and around the world. Under the direction of their club advisor, Lecturer in Environmental Studies Carissa Aoki, they performed two songs on the Coram Stage: “Matsuri,” based on traditional Japanese festival music, and “Ei ja nai ka,” a tribute to the labor of early Japanese immigrants, which included audience dance participation on the Historic Quad.

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

MOSAIC Families Networking

Hosted by President Clayton Spencer at her home, and joined by other members of the Bates community, MOSAIC families gathered to make connections among the families, guardians, and support networks of underrepresented racial, ethnic, LGBTQIA+, first-generation college, and international Bates students.

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Many — and One Shared Moment

A family gathers at Lake Andrews.

Back to Bates: Family Day 2021

Back to Bates Family Weekend: A Review

See some of the weekend highlights in this video produced by Theophil Syslo/Bates College.

Footnotes

Produced by the Bates Communications Office with Visual Reporting by Phyllis Graber Jensen, Theophil Syslo, and Anna Gouveia'22

FootNotes

Produced by the Bates Communications Office with Visual Reporting by Phyllis Graber Jensen, Theophil Syslo, and Anna Gouveia'22

© 2026 Bates College

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