During the school year, Linfield’s campus is full of students, professors and other staff members attending classes, clubs and sporting events. But what goes on around campus when students are gone for the summer?
Even though students are on summer vacation, the campus is anything but vacant. From the moment students move out in May to around Aug. 1, campus is taken over by the community and used as an event space. Dorms and apartments are used as hotels, dining services are still provided and cleaning services are available.
Beth Garcia, Linfield Director of Conference and Event Services, describes the campus atmosphere in the summer as sleepy in some areas, like Melrose, but lively in areas near Dillin Dining Hall where lots of people are coming in and out.
Now, what types of events inhabit our beautiful campus? To name a few, football camps, the Weekender, the International Pinot Noir Celebration and Spark Camp all took place at Linfield over the summer.
One of the more popular events in the summer takes place at Maxwell Field. Aspiring Wildcats put on their pads and helmets to learn from experienced football coaches and players. This year, there were about 2,300 athletes over a two-week period. During this time, campers would stay at the dorms and eat at Dillin between learning plays and practicing drills. These camps occur every summer at Linfield and inspire young athletes to become future Wildcats after they experience our established football program.
This year, our campus was chosen as the location for the Weekender, an event hosted by Cycle Oregon. Cycle Oregon is a non-profit organization that holds biking competitions all around the state. Approximately 500 bikers and their families explored campus and enjoyed live music and food the weekend of July 12 to 14. Participants choose to camp in the quad or stay in the dorms. For many, this was an opportunity to experience all McMinnville has to offer. Due to the location of campus, participants could go from dining at some of the best restaurants in Oregon only blocks away, to biking the Willamette Valley and Oregon Coast Range. Bikers choose to ride 30 to 127 miles over the weekend with many options depending on experience level.
Although the Weekender occurred at Linfield only this summer, the International Pinot Noir Celebration (IPNC) has been hosted at Linfield every year, since its inception in 1987. This event occurred the weekend of July 26 to 28 where seminars, wine tastings and dinners were held on campus. Wine lovers from all over come to taste wines from 85 different wineries around the world. These tastings allow wine enthusiasts to experience other wine cultures as there are wines from France, Italy, Australia, South Africa and many more countries. While IPNC was successful for the past 38 years, its future is uncertain due to “evolving circumstances and post-pandemic challenges,” according to their 2024 press release. This year’s event might have been the last one.
Football camps, the Weekender and IPNC are all well-established events that may be known to students or McMinnville residents, but there is a lesser-known event that occurred at the Linfield campus over the summer that is just as, if not more, important for our community.
Spark Camp is a sports camp for athletes eight to 21 who are blind or visually impaired. Linfield has been associated with Spark Camp since 2017. It was created by the Northwest Association for Blind Athletes and aims to instill confidence and independence in those who are unable to participate in athletics in the traditional sense. Over the summer, these athletes practiced swimming, tandem biking, track and field and many more sports. Sponsors and donations have given the campers the opportunity to participate in the camp for free. While other summer events may get more of the spotlight, Spark Camp is aiding the community and changing lives under the radar.
From August to May, campus fosters a beneficial learning environment and from May to August, it does the same thing only in a different sense. Campus is still busy with people who want to learn about football, wine and meet new people. The Linfield campus holds such diverse events, that it even hosted a wedding in the Oak Grove over the summer.
Out-of-state or out-of-country Wildcats may miss these events, but commuters and McMinnville locals may consider being a part of these summertime festivities in 2025.
