This is a developing story that will be updated with new information throughout the day.
After weeks filled with tornado scares, blizzards, blistering heat and every other type of Ohio weather possible, Miami University students are gearing up for the next 24 hours for the most iconic annual tradition in Oxford: Green Beer Day (GBD).
Check back with The Miami Student throughout the day for updates on how the day is progressing.
12 a.m.
Green Beer Day started off with celebrations starting as early as 8 p.m., as the Miami University basketball team faced off for a spot in the March Madness Bracket.
Plenty of people were crowded in bars uptown to watch the game before the parties got started around Oxford. Alex Canupp, a marketing and entrepreneurship double major, was among those celebrating as Miami won against Southern Methodist University 89-79.
“Go Red Hawks. Fly, baby fly,” Canupp said. “We're dancing with the biggest people in the country, and I think that's incredible, because that's where we belong.”
The junior also encouraged those partying to stay safe as the night continues.
“I think it's really good for the entire town of Oxford,” Canupp said. “I think it's great … but I think it definitely opens opportunities for safety hazard and risk.”
Senior data analytics and nutrition major Emerson Keller advised underage party-goers to be cautious in their GBD endeavors and avoid uptown as a means of staying safe.
“I would say, just think a little bit more, think about all the consequences that could happen,” Keller said. “Don't go uptown, and just be careful for sure.”
Alternative to partying, sophomore finance major Owen Rice is at the Phi Delta Theta gates for the night, selling GBD hoodies and crewnecks as a part of a side hustle inspired by the holiday.
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“I think that tradition is something that's really important for every community anywhere,” Rice said. “It doesn't really matter what size, but I think it's one of our strongest and best traditions we have.”
The festivities have certainly begun, with loud music blaring at every corner and people decked in green all over campus and uptown.
Reporting by Managing Editor Elisa Rosenthal
2 a.m.
As the time drew nearer to 2 a.m., herds of students gathered alongside Slant Walk to prepare for the impending Ginger Run. An annual tradition that brings together ginger students to run down Slant Walk together to celebrate Green Beer Day.
Students participating in the run began to line up at the Phi Delta Theta gates. Runners began warming up around 1:45 a.m. as crowds continued to grow.
Colby Levine, a sophomore zoology major, was one of the first runners on the scene, preparing early for his second time at the run.
“I like running and a lot of people told me about [the Ginger run]; it was all over Instagram,” Levine said.
In contrast to those participating, this year's run brought students who had decided not to go last year but attended this year.
Ainsley O’Ryan, a sophomore political science and data analytics double major, attended for the first time this year.
“I’m expecting some gingers to run. I’ve seen videos, so I know people fall,” O’Ryan said.
Crowds continued to fill the sides of Slant walk as runners neared start time.
Jillian Haines, a sophomore political science and strategic communication transfer student, had never seen or heard of the Ginger run previously and was excited and nervous to experience it.
“I’ve seen it looks crazy, like everybody’s running and pushing each other,” Haines said. “I’m just excited to see what all the hype is about.”
The run began promptly with a countdown from the crowd at 2 a.m. as students hit the end of the countdown, the gingers sprinted down Slant walk.
Many student runners lost their footing or tripped early on in the run and returned to the sides to observe for the remainder of the run. After the last ginger ran by the crowds, everyone dispersed to continue on their planned path for the rest of the early morning.
Reporting by Asst. Photo Editor Ivy Kleinman
3 a.m.
As the clocks struck 3 a.m., crowds thinned out all across Oxford. Little remained of the last hour’s ginger run except for crushed remnants of lucky charms and a few stranglers hanging outside the library. Across from Slant Walk, Uptown was nearly empty. Local establishments like Skippers and Brick Street were closed, with staff working hard to prepare the bars for when they reopen at 6 a.m.
Besides bars, there were a few restaurants serving small groups of wary students. Bagel and Deli was the obvious exception here, with nearly a dozen people crammed into the iconic Oxford eatery waiting for the chance to try classic sandwiches on green bagels that had been dyed with food coloring for the occasion. A three-strong staff was working hard to fulfill orders as the restaurant became packed with not just students, but also employees from recently closed establishments, eager to get a meal in before Thursday’s festivities began.
A few blocks away, the strip of fraternity houses that had been brimming with people an hour before were now almost empty, with most parties being thwarted by either police interference or circumstances.
Treyton Lewis, a fourth-year kinesiology major, said that his main motivator for going out was the chance to redo things from last year.
“It was snowing last year [during Green Beer Day], and it’s a little nicer this year,” Lewis said. “I also think the turnout was a lot better this year.”
Lewis went on to say that although this year was a great time, the turnout was the largest when he was a sophomore. He also said that despite exams, he plans on going home to take a quick nap, then coming back out at 6 a.m. to complete the Miami tradition of early morning drinking on Green Beer Day. If tradition holds up, he will not be the only one.
Reporting by Campus and Community Editor Owen Martin
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