Maryland Day Looks Back at Its Roots, and to the Stars
Ag Day’s 100th Anniversary, Terp Astronaut’s Visit Highlight Annual Day of Fun, Learning
McKeldin Mall was Maryland Day’s hub, a food-, entertainment- and demonstration-packed point from which tens of thousands of guests fanned out to learning-themed “neighborhoods” all across UMD’s campus.
Photo by John T. Consoli
From the centennial of Ag Day to the debut of baby goats on the Campus Farm to demonstrations of a student-built Mars rover, Maryland Day 2025 on Saturday celebrated past, present and future.
The University of Maryland held an uneasy truce with Mother Nature for much of the day, with a muggy, briefly drizzly morning giving way to cheerful afternoon sunshine for tens of thousands of alums, community members and other visitors attending the annual open house. The 400-plus exhibitions, activities and events had to shut down about 40 minutes early when lightning was spotted within 10 miles. (The storm thankfully shifted away from College Park.)
In the meantime, crowds swarmed from one corner of campus to another. They took literal behind-the-scenes tours and watched dance, musical and stage performances at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center; cheered on the football team; and participated in scores of scientific and engineering exhibitions and feats on the one-day neighborhood of Science and Tech Way.
There, they also got the chance to meet NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps M.S. ’94, Ph.D. ’00, who spent nearly eight months last year on the International Space Station. She inspired future engineers and families during a chat and Q&A, answering questions from even the tiniest children, such as, “How do you sleep in space?”
On the main drag, McKeldin Mall, guests lined up to meet another kind of Terp celebrity. Fresh off Maryland Basketball’s two Sweet 16 appearances in the NCAA Tournament, members of the women’s team and new men's head coach Buzz Williams greeted hundreds of Terp fans. Schools and colleges welcomed prospective students and graduates to their tents, and guests voted on a name for the Campus Farm’s new calf: Black-eyed Susan. (She indeed has a patch on one eye.)
And that circles back to where Maryland Day all started 100 years ago: Ag Day. Saturday’s events kicked off with a commemorative ribbon-cutting ceremony in the Animal Sciences Building and soon featured favorites such as the livestock show and equestrian demonstrations as well as modern fare like the planting of a solar-powered, mobile green wall.
See what else guests enjoyed on Maryland Day:
College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Dean Craig Beyrouty and UMD President Darryll J. Pines kick off the 100th anniversary of Ag Day, an event honoring Maryland’s beginnings as the Maryland Agricultural College that inspired the first all-campus Maryland Day in 1999. (Photo by Stephanie S. Cordle)
Britney Hansford ‘26 shows Liam Lim trombone slide techniques at the ever-popular musical Instrument Zoo at the Clarice. He was accompanied by brother Ethan and Terp parents Kuna ’05 and Steven Lim ’05. (Photo by Dylan Singleton)
Recent International Space Station crew member Jeanette Epps M.S. ‘94, Ph.D.’00 poses with potential future candidates for her role as a NASA astronaut: Rae Hentz Asti and Kai Hentz Asti (in space suit costume) in Clark Hall. (Photo by Riley N. Sims)
Spectators crowd an “arena” to watch pint-sized, 3D-printed battle bots built by the Leatherbacks Combat Robotics student club face off in an action-packed tournament in Clark Hall. (Photo by Riley N. Sims)
A millipede navigating his fingers fascinates Zachary Dankowicz ‘28 at the Dept. of Entomology’s Insect Petting Zoo. (Photo by Jess Daninhirsch)
Members of the women’s basketball team and new men’s coach Buzz Williams pose on the McKeldin Mall main stage, where they sign autographs for fans. (Photo by John T. Consoli)
An audience packs the stairwell of the Clarice’s Grand Pavilion to watch performers in "Broadway Today," a performance of musical theater hits from the School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies. (Photo by Taneen Momeni)
The University of Maryland Drumline provides propulsive Maryland Day beats for an audience at the center of McKeldin Mall. (Photo by John T. Consoli)
Flipping and flying through the air is all in a Maryland Day’s work for Gymkana, UMD’s resident troupe of acrobats who draw a crowd at the School of Public Health. (Photo by Dylan Singleton)
Agriculture students wait with their livestock before guests begin arriving for Maryland Day. (Photo by Edwin Rembsberg)
With gloves and safety glasses in place, a young guest grabs a bubble made of dry ice in a science demonstration outside the Chemistry Building. (Photo by Mark Sherwood)
White defeated Red 31-28 as Maryland football held its annual Red-White spring game, a Maryland Day tradition. Redshirt freshman Khristian Martin took the game MVP Award for his 16-of-23 and 269-yard passing performance. (Photo by Austin DeSisto/Maryland Terrapins)
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