Emmy Award winner Jon Stewart
performs at Colonials Weekend 2009.
Colonials Weekend 2009 brought thousands of families and friends to GW for three jam-packed days of events.
Mount Vernon Campus held its annual Octoberfest on Saturday afternoon, families and local residents enjoyed pumpkin carving, contests and fall desserts. Saturday events also included campus tours, department open houses, breakfasts with school deans, and the renaming and dedication of New Hall as Philip S. Amsterdam Hall, in honor of the late Philip Amsterdam, CCAS BA '62. Mr. Amsterdam was an active alumnus and trustee and his bequest of $5 million to support the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration is commemorated in the naming of the residence hall.
Saturday evening, The Daily Show host Jon Stewart performed two sold-out shows at the Charles E. Smith Center. The comedian riffed on a variety of political topics, from closing Guantanamo Bay to conflict in the Middle East, and shared stories about being a father and his attempts at staying up to date with new technology. Mr. Stewart also commented on the renovations to the Charles E. Smith Center since his last visit as headliner for Colonials Weekend 2005.
On Sunday, the main event was the seventh annual Foggy Bottom/West End Neighborhood Block Party on the Eye Street Mall, which featured vendors from community groups, restaurants and GW organizations. GW's Medical Center, the Medical Faculty Associates and the George Washington University Hospital also sponsored free health screenings.
"The cold weather and threat of rain couldn't keep folks away from a great community event," says Executive Director of Government, International & Community Relations Michael Akin. "With local vendors, live entertainment and plenty of neighbors, students, parents, faculty and staff, the seventh annual block party was a total success."
Mike and Leigh Andrews traveled from Greenville, S.C., to join their daughter Katherine, a GW freshman, for the weekend. Mrs. Andrews says it was wonderful to see how settled her daughter has become at GW since she moved in a few months ago. "Katherine took us on the Metro and showed us a day in her life at GW," says Mrs. Andrews. "It's really been a great weekend."
Read more about Colonials Weekend 2009 here. You can also view photos from the weekend.
