Davidson celebrated its 41st Town Day on Saturday, May 5, with food, music and entertainment on the Village Green. Some of our photographically inclined neighbors contributed these shots of the day’s events.

The day include a 5K race (won by 14-year-old Malia Ellington of Cornelius who beat all the guys), an oral history booth manned by students from Community School of Davidson, and a variety of activities on the green. Local restaurants served lunch, and the Davidson library kicked off its annual book sale, which continues all week.

RELATED LINKS

May 2, 2012, “Town Day lineup: Music, 5K race, food and fun” – our preview article, with background about the history of Town Day.

May 5, 2012, “14-year-old Malia Ellington wins Town Day Spartan 5K”

I had a dream that Dodger was running free in Richardson Stadium at Davidson College, which is against the rules. I was crawling across the rubbery track, doing a breathlessly dreamy slo-mo “fail” at getting to him. He dashed merrily about the artificial turf field, paying no mind to the authoritative benchmarks of the gridiron, nor to me. La, la, la! he went, happy. “Doooddggerrr!” I went, unhappy.

Rather than burden ourselves here with tortured interpretations, I posit the dream as archetype: Spirited soul instinctively running free, gleefully heedless (happy) of the synthetic culture of benchmarks we construct with our increasingly compulsive content manipulation and the resultant aggravation of inbred psycho-social neuroses (unhappy). Read the full story

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The late Davidson College math professor Rob Whitton was also a music lover, and often turned up wherever local musicians were performing around town. On Saturday, many of those musicians performed during a day-long tribute at Summit Coffee and The Birdsnest in downtown Davidson.

Professor Whitton died last November after he was struck by a car on Concord Road, near Faculty Drive, while walking home from campus. Read the full story

Well, we all know what a great place Davidson is – even if N.C. Chapter of the American Planning Association got it wrong.

For the past few weeks, citizens around the state have been invited to pick from a short list of finalists for the 2012 Great Places Award, in a contest organized by the state’s professional planners. Main Street Davidson was among the six communities nominated. Read the full story

Davidson celebrates its 41st Town Day and the 175th anniversary of the town on Saturday, May 5, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with a festival of fun, community service, food from local restaurants, and entertainment on the Village Green. The day starts with an early morning 5K road race, this year to benefit Community School of Davidson. And there’s even a Town Day T-shirt for sale. Town officials are using the day to promote a variety of official programs, from pet licensing to bicycle safety. Read the full story

Hansford Epes, Davidson College’s registrar and professor of Humanities and German, is retiring at the end of this school year after an association with the college that has lasted more than 55 years. A 1961 graduate, he was feted the other day at a reception with colleagues. John Syme has this appreciation.

By JOHN SYME
Davidson College senior writer

What can I say, on a personal note, about Hansford M. Epes Jr., Davidson College Class of 1961, registrar and avatar for the life of the mind, mentor and dear friend?

No, really, what can I say without getting in trouble? Our best conversations have happened off the radar, between classes and meetings, on Chambers Lawn far from walls with ears, under a gentle spread of tree canopy and tobacco smoke, whilst Dodger gives playful chase to fluffy woodland creatures. Read the full story

Updated Friday, 5:02 p.m.
By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

Davidson College’s decision to put off tenure approval for an Asian-American religion professor has sparked an outcry from students and faculty who say it’s the latest sign the college is not meeting its diversity goals.

On Thursday afternoon, a diverse group of students protested outside Alvarez College Union, holding a banner that replaced the Davidson name in the college logo with the question “Diversity?” Read the full story

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Here’s an introduction to an activity some folks in Davidson are getting hooked on: parkour. What is parkour? A sport, an art form?

Stephan Snyder of Davidson, a sophomore in the I.B. program at North Mecklenburg High School, says: “It’s the practice of moving efficiently from point A to point B using vaulting, climbing, and other techniques.” Read the full story