DECATUR, Ill. -- It was cookie time again at on Wednesday, December 11, as the 91st edition of ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ's Cookie Party brought the Big Blue community together for a warm and lively celebration of the holiday season.
Students began lining up outside the University Common's Bob and Debi Johnston Banquet Rooms nearly an hour before the event's 2 p.m. start time as they enjoyed some holiday music performances from School of Music students.
Volunteers had been busy for days preparing for this yearβs Cookie Party, which included 1,180 dozen cookies for more than 14,160 cookies that could be gobbled up.
Cookies that were left over at the end of the party were delivered by ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔβs Vice President of Student Affairs Dr. Wallace βDr. Sβ Southerland, to Decaturβs Northeast Community Fund, a non-profit group that assists needy families in the Decatur and Macon County community.
β(The Cookie Party) is an opportunity to bring the entire university community together, students, faculty and staff, to celebrate their hard work and celebrate the end of the semester,β Dr. S said. βWe want to send students off feeling good about their semester, so it's all about fellowship with each other."
The history of the Cookie Party dates back to December 1934, when the first Christmas Tea was held in the browsing room of Gorin Library, now Gorin Hall. Hosted by the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Dames, an organization for women on ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ's staff and wives of faculty members and trustees, the expenditure for this first tea was $2.
The Christmas Tea, an annual holiday event in honor of ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ students, was held in the Gorin Library until 1960. The original teas were rather formal events using silver tea services and members of the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Dames as servers.
In 1960, the location of the tea was moved to the University Center, and in 1964, the Christmas Tea was renamed the Cookie Party. The Cookie Party was held in the Richards Treat University Center since its opening and is now held in the University Commons.
Check out some photos from this year's event:
