OHIO to celebrate Founders Day with Birthday Bash, special events

Ohio University will celebrate its 220th birthday over the Founders Day Weekend, Feb. 17-18.

Founded on Feb. 18, 1804, Ohio University is the oldest public university in the state of Ohio. Over the Founders Day Weekend, OHIO will celebrate its past, present and future with a series of events including a Birthday Bash, Virtual 5K, the playing of the Cutler Hall Chimes and a special exhibit.

The Birthday Bash will be held on Saturday, Feb. 17 from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. in Walter Hall. All members of the Ohio University community are invited to this family-friendly event, which will feature free food and a wide range of activities. Registration is encouraged but is not required. 

For more information on the Birthday Bash or to register, please visit this website. 

The Virtual 5K Race is designed to help Ohio University reach the goal of the total mileage from the Bunch of Grapes Tavern in Boston where Ohio University was chartered to Cutler Hall in Athens, equating 730 miles. Each individual 5K submission will be counted toward the combined mileage goal. 

Bobcats are invited to run in the Virtual 5K race at any time. For more information or register for the Virtual 5K Race, please see this website.

On Founders Day, Feb. 18, the Cutler Hall Chimes will play “Alma Mater, Ohio” at 2:20 p.m. Cutler Hall is the oldest building at Ohio University and currently serves as home to the Office of the President, the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost and other senior administrative staff.

This year’s special exhibit from University Libraries invites all members of the OHIO community to explore World War II-related stories, articles, news and more that appeared in “The Post” from 1939 when the newspaper made its first appearance. The exhibit is from Ohio University Libraries' Mahn Center for Archives and Special Collections.

For more information on all of the Founders Day activities, please see the Founders Day website.

For more information about the history of Ohio University, please see the Ohio University History and Traditions website.