Get ready for the one and only P-rade on Saturday, May 25, at 2 pm.
Flash Mob Dance
Shhhhhhh! It’s a secret! We’re going to surprise everyone with a FLASH MOB performance as we march through campus. Every time you hear the chorus for our class song “1999” by Prince, we’re hoping you and yours will do a few basic dance moves.
Our very own, ultra-fabulous Adam Lipski and his talented daughter have put together the following video so you can start to get your groove on.
Fast forward to the 5:00 minute mark if you’re a quick study. It’s about 30 seconds of dance moves – easy to learn!
Please watch the video. The more people we get jiving, the more fun this will be. And if you have kids, show them the video too, so they can start practicing!
Junior Tiger Squad
Looking for a fun P-rade outfit for your kiddos? We are in need of a junior tiger squad to accompany our float. Check out the Amazon.com links below and bring this costume with you if your kids want to participate! Older children may need the adult costume.
GOOSH Inflatable Tiger Costume for Kids
GOOSH Inflatable Tiger Costume for Adults
The costume will require 4 AA batteries.
Sustainability Disclaimer: As part of our sustainability efforts, we’ve worked hard to reduce “throwaway items.” Consider ways to use the costume beyond the P-rade (who wouldn’t love a cute tiger Halloween costume?), and if it would be a one-time use item, please don’t buy it and throw it away. We’ll have a sustainable swap area at HQ where you can drop it after the P-rade, and we’ll try our best to keep it out of a landfill.
Staging
P-rade starts at 2 pm on Saturday, May 25. But unlike previous years, where you can slowly meander to the meeting spot, we need you there EARLY because we lead the entire P-rade, right after the Old Guard.
Right after we take the class photo at Blair Arch at 1 pm, we need you to boogie on over to FitzRandolph Gate at the entrance to the University on Nassau Street. That’s where our class will be congregating before the P-rade.
Starting at 1:15 pm, we will be having a 90s DANCE PARTY, where Adam will help everyone practice the flash mob moves.
We will also be distributing signs to carry, designed by our most crafty classmates Jessi Wilson and Halle Markus, who have spent hours upon hours upcycling old VHS tapes into POM POMS for you to carry!
We’re also looking for a few teenagers (ages 14+) who will wear our special VHS TAPE COSTUMES while we march. If you have a teenager who won’t die of embarrassment, please meet Tisha at FitzRandolph Gate no later than 1:30 pm. First come, first pick!
At 2 pm sharp, the University band and the Old Guard will start to move, and then it will be our turn!
Order of procession
- Class of 1999 Banner
- Class Officers
- Steve Metz and his Tiger Motorcycle!
- Prince and the Float Crew!
- The Junior Tiger Squad
- Our Class
After we pass by the first group of classes, we will join up with our float! We need about half our class to keep walking while our Float Crew jumps on the float. Please let the junior tiger squad lead the float out into the parade route, with about half of our class following behind.
P-rade Route and Aftermath
For our 25th Reunion, the class of 1999 assembles southeast of FitzRandolph Gate and follows the Old Guard through the route down Elm Drive, detouring through East Pyne and back to Elm past Whig and Clio. Then it is down to the reviewing stand, west of Bloomberg Hall.
As the 25th Reunion class, we will be near the head of the P-rade, right behind the Old Guard. After we march, the P-rade will continue for hours before the eating club barbecues and other activities commence. Because Poe Field is under construction, the space near the reviewing stand is limited.
We encourage classmates to find a spot along the P-rade route past the “alumni arch” banner or relax inside our HQ area at Whitman College. Note that the class of 2024 will be positioned along the route near Whitman, and the area near the end of the route will be crowded. Alcoholic beverages will not be served at the HQs during the P-rade.
Acknowledgement
Here’s to Tisha Thompson, Adam Lipski, Jessi Wilson, Halle Markus, Kesu James, Aaron Cezar, Amanda Teo, Jackie Bruce, Grace Penn, Eric Jeschke, Steve Metz, Josh Salcman, and Krista Haley Rue! They have spent more than a year making our P-rade dreams come true.
