The University’s Young Alumni Reunion returned last Saturday after being canceled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Class of 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 were invited to the event, which was held at the Ting Pavilion on the Downtown Mall from 9 p.m. to midnight. During the event, alumni gathered for food, dancing, drinks, a DJ and snacks from local food trucks.
YAR is a long-standing annual event hosted by the Virginia Alumni Association that invites members of the previous three graduating classes from the University to come back during Homecomings weekend. The Class of 2018 was also invited this year, as they were unable to attend last year due to the event’s cancellation.
All attendees were required to be over the age of 21 and were allowed to bring up to three guests to the event. IDs were checked by security at the entrance.
While tickets could originally be bought at the door, sales closed last Friday after all 3,800 available tickets sold out. Along with access to the event, the $35 ticket also included complimentary beer, hard cider, non-alcoholic beverages and late-night snacks.
All attendees of YAR were required to follow the University’s policy on masking and vaccinations, meaning that vaccinated individuals were not required to wear a mask while in the pavilion, while unvaccinated individuals were required to wear a mask for the entirety of the event. All attendees were required to wear a mask when using indoor facilities, including the restroom and other indoor spaces.
Andrew Wolverton, graduate Commerce student and Class of 2021 alumnus attended the event and said he was “pleasantly surprised” by how well it went.
“I think that other young alumni would agree that drinks and food were easily accessible and the music was good,” Wolverton said. “It felt like there was a concerted effort made to ensure everyone got their money’s worth and had a fun time.”
Similarly, Lauryn Nilson, graduate Education student and Class of 2021 alumna, said she enjoyed her time at YAR catching up with friends.
“I really enjoyed YAR this weekend — it was especially great seeing people from the class of 2020 who didn’t get a full goodbye,” Nilson said.
Liz Crowder, associate director of alumni programs, noted YAR was a major hit for local vendors.
“We served up over 3,000 apple cider donuts from Carpe Donut; 3,500 servings of dumplings from Got Dumplings; 3,250 servings of chicken tenders and fries from Angelic’s Kitchen; and 3,000 bags of kettle corn from Blue Ridge Kettle Korn,” Crowder said.
Despite inclement weather during the day, the rain held off during the event so no weather altercations had to be made.
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