Due to Safety Concerns From The Town of Hanover, 2018 Homecoming Bonfire Will Be Replaced With Lone Man Standing In The Middle Of The Green Yelling “Crackle Crackle, Burn”

Recent College communications have announced that, this year, there will be a series of changes made to the annual Homecoming bonfire. These alterations are meant to assuage concerns on behalf of the town of Hanover, in order to obtain permission for Dartmouth to hold the event after Hanover had announced in May that it would not grant a permit unless the College improved the event’s safety.

The biggest change being introduced is that the structure of the Homecoming bonfire itself is to go through a major shift for this 2018 event. In past years, first year students would run around a three story structure composed of wooden layers, lit aflame with the wooden carving of that freshmen class’s year erected at the top. This year, the bonfire will be composed of Craig, a lone man who will stand in the middle of the green through the duration of the event yelling “crackle, crackle, burn.”

According to a report issued by a working group established by the College in June to review the event’s safety, these structural changes will make it so that the stability of the bonfire is increased, rendering it less likely to collapse, because it is a human person. The working group also has high hopes that this change will lead to fewer first year students attempting to “touch the fire,” because touching Craig without his permission would be very rude.

Additionally, members of the class of 2022 will only be allowed to run one lap around Craig, in comparison to past years in which first-year students were encouraged to run the number of laps corresponding to their class year. This October, after the “Sweep,” students will be led to the Green. Craig will then take position. As the students begin to run, Craig will begin to yell “crackle, crackle, burn” and add whatever fire-like sound effects he see fit. After their lap, the class of 2022 will head to Dartmouth Hall for a class photo, and Craig will go home.

The Dartmouth Administration has high hopes for this change, citing excitement about how safe this event is bound to be. However, the press release notes that if these changes are not successfully implemented, the bonfire may not continue in future years.

– L K-P ’18