EVENTS

Bicentennial Festivities

Sippers

What Friday night would be complete without a gathering in Room 7? Sippers will be hosted out of Room 7, West Lawn, beginning at 5 pm. These special celebratory Sippers will include a wide selection of cocktails, including the Society’s special whiskey sour. Visit the room where it all began 200 years ago and share a drink with friends, old and new! (Photographer and Videographer will be Present)

Bicentennial Meeting

Return to the Hall and dive once more into the debates, speeches, and literary readings that made our UVA Friday nights so special! The celebratory Bicentennial Meeting, hosted in Hotel C, will be gaveled in at 7:29, with content from across the decades presented throughout the evening. This curated night is one you won’t want to miss, whether you want to learn something new or give content of your own!  Will there be a keg in the Hall? You have to come and find out! (Photographer and Videographer will be Present)

Poe Reading Contest

 Quoth the Raven: “Once more!” Celebrate the literary tradition of the Society with a special edition of our annual Poe contest.  Society members will be allowed to sign up for a short timeslot to present Saturday morning, with the winner being announced as part of the Bicentennial Banquet that evening. All guests and participants are welcome to come in and out of the Hall to listen to readings of Poe’s most famous works, and honor one of our most distinguished members. Sign-ups and a full list of participants will be displayed on the website prior to the Bicentennial.

Moomaw Oratorical Contest

Passionate about the state of global affairs? Want to elaborate on your love of environmental concerns? Yearning to speak on the current trajectory of modern movies? Then sign up to participate in our special edition of the Moomaw Oratorical Contest! Society members can sign up for a timeslot to present Saturday afternoon, and the winner will be announced during the Bicentennial Banquet. All guests and participants are welcome to come in and out of the Hall to listen to speeches on topics from pop culture to global affairs. Sign-ups and speech topics will be announced on the website prior to the Bicentennial.

Special Collections

Curious about the History of the Hall? Want to see the signatures of presidents and poets? The Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library is partnering with the Jefferson Society to display some of our most treasured artifacts. All guests are welcome to come and see the length of two centuries of student life, through the ways our Society handled tradition, change, war and peace at the University

Bicentennial Banquet

*The capstone of the weekend, the Bicentennial Banquet is the true birthday party of our Society. As we turn 200, join us for a catered black-tie optional dinner hosted in the brand-new Sumway Hall. The night will include time to feast with friends, speeches to honor the Society’s history, its present, and its bright future, a retrospective video of memories of the Society, the announcement of several Bicentennial awards including the winners of our two contests, and toasts. Jefferson Journals from previous years will be available to take home sd well. The festivities continue with one of the Society’s most popular traditions: the Night of 1000 Toasts, hosted out of Room 7, West Lawn. Celebrate with us all night long, and make memories that will certainly, in the future, be pleasing to remember. (Photographer and Videographer will be Present)

Pavillion Progressive Brunch

 We are pleased to host a progressive Pavillion brunch Sunday morning, which will be run out of both the Colonnade Club and several West Lawn Pavilions. Weekend passholders can join us for a catered breakfast with fellow alums and get a chance to look inside the Pavilions which surround Room 7, and meet some of the current occupants! For those who are truly yearning for a taste of Charlottesville, Bodos will be provided as part of the event. (Photographer and Videographer will be Present)

Archives & Meet Ups

Interested to look back at some old minutes of the Hall? Want to see artifacts from your time in the Society? Want to spend more time in the Hall chairs? Visit the Hall Sunday afternoon and gain a curated look through the Hall’s archives. Member’s interview cards will be available to take home for Society members and enjoy a series of Probie Class meetups throughout the day.

Special Collections

A continuation of the partnership between The Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library and the Jefferson Society, many artifacts of the Society’s history will be on display. Take advantage of the time to also look at the exhibits that the Library has, including one of only 12 original printings of the Declaration of Independence still in existence!

Roll Call & Oath

The day has finally arrived. On Monday, July 14th, 2025, the Jefferson Society will turn 200 years old. Throughout the weekend, a special Reunions Roll Book, filled with the names of attendees who register for this celebration and to be filled at future anniversary celebrations, will be available to sign, with a list of locations being made available on the Bicentennial website. On Monday morning, the Roll Book will be in Room 7, West Lawn. At 9:30 am, we will move from Room 7 to the Hall, where we will celebrate the Bicentennial of the Society with a recitation of the Society’s Oath, a roll call from the Reunions Roll Book, a brief speech by the President of the Society, and a final farewell to the weekend and hello to many years of Society life to come. There will be a special opportunity following the event for representations to be made at both the Essence and in the gardens around the Hall, which will be filmed as part of our Bicentennial Storybook process. Haec Olim Meminisse Juvabit! (Photographer and Videographer will be Present)