The Cal Aggie Band-uh leads off the 103rd annual Picnic Day Parade.
Picnic Day. If you attended the University of California in Davis, you know what I am talking about. Picnic Day is a 103-year-old campus tradition and the highlight of the University’s April social calendar.
UC Davis Campus-Wide Open House
If you have not been to a Picnic Day, it is a campus-wide open house. Every college, every discipline every major has something to share, and there are a lot of them.
UC Davis is the largest campus in the University of California system. It covers the most area both in acreage and in education. The campus supports over one-hundred majors in the four undergraduate colleges: Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Biological Sciences, Letters and Science and my alma mater, the College of Engineering.
UC Davis is also home to almost 100 Graduate Studies programs, and six professional schools: The Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing, The Graduate School of Management, the School of Education, The School of Law, The worlds best School of Veterinary Medicine and my other alma mater, the UC Davis School of Medicine.
Tradition and Innovation
This year’s Picnic Day theme was “Growing Together.” Not only did the University celebrate their 103rd anniversary, but the city of Davis also celebrated their centennial. Davis is a true college town, and both have grown together.
The Davis Town Council riding in a vintage firetruck.
The theme also included the growth from old to new. Old firetrucks were followed by new police vehicles.
The Latest in UC Davis Police vehicles
Picnic Day 2017
The first Picnic Days I attended were years before enrolling. My best friend had family who lived next to the campus. We would bring our bikes and ride every mile on the bike paths, and off. As a student, Picnic Day was not to be missed. Friends and family would visit and celebrate the day. It was an easy way for me to share my college and for my friends to see what the UCD campus was about. As an alumnus, Picnic Day is a way to keep in touch with my younger self.
The tradition of learning, innovation and success continues… Here are some of the banners that hang over the Aggie basketball court from back in my era. Go Aggies!