Sugar Day
Image: Sugar Day
A day of Scholarship, Reflection, and Celebration
Organized by the Office of Scholarly Endeavors, this year’s Sugar Day will take place on April 4, 2024!
Sugar Day continues to be one of the oldest campus traditions, though it has been celebrated in many forms since its founding. Beginning in 1856 as a celebration of collecting maple syrup, fondly called the “Day of Running Sap” by the Class of 1946, the day demonstrates community and service in varying capacities. In recent years, Sugar Day was restarted as a day of scholarship to showcase student presentations and academia.
Event Photos
Past Event Programs
History of Sugar Day
The first Sugar Day was held in 1854 when Alvah Udall invited students and faculty from the College to his camp for a sugar stir. Because the event was so well-received, it was repeated and added to with various celebrations and general merriment year after year. It became a tradition, first sponsored by faculty, and later by an ominous group of senior students known as the Student Senate On Campus Activities Committee. Sugar Day never fell on the same day and few students were “in the know” about the event each year, as it was of great importance to keep the date a secret. The seniors took it so far as tricking other Hiram students and faculty from knowing the event date. According to a 1966 Advance newspaper article, it was believed to be the “most tightly guarded secret in the history of Hiram College.” Any test that was scheduled for the impromptu Sugar Day was postponed.