Skidmore’s dining hall, a home for Harry Potter’s butterbeer and Kevin’s family chili
One snowy night in November, the dining hall was transformed into the wizarding world of “Harry Potter.” The Skidmore community arrived in Murray Aikins Dining Hall to see house banners hung from the ceiling, lines for butterbeer — the sweet, nonalcoholic treat featured in the popular series — cascading down the hallways, and portraits of beloved Hogwarts professors covering the walls. There was a goblet of fire, a moving portrait of Serious Black, and a train that rode around the “Monster Book of Monsters,” as well as decorations featuring floating envelopes, witch hats, and brooms.
These nights are an important Skidmore tradition; theme dinners are organized by Dining Services and a team of dedicated student workers a few times each semester, attracting scores of students and helping to make the wizarding world of “Harry Potter,” LEGOs, and beloved shows like “The Office” and “Game of Thrones” come alive on Skidmore’s campus.
Students were invited to enjoy various magical treats as part of the "Harry Potter" themed night.
I began creating them almost 20 years ago now, as an outlet for students to look forward to something fun and different during mealtimes.Bonnie Bertrand, manager of catering and special events
She recalls “The Office” as a particularly memorable night, explaining that the theme was a last-minute suggestion from her theme night supervisor, Erica Schechter ’24, a French major from Shrewsbury Massachusetts. Erica works with seven to nine other student workers to decide collectively on themes and figure out how to make them come to life; she also helps to keep everyone who works under her informed on their tasks and communicates with Bonnie about necessary supplies.
Erica’s idea to create a “The Office” themed night was inspired by how many students had become enamored with the show after quarantine.
To make “The Office” night happen on such short notice, the student team worked overtime to create decorations and set up for the event. The decorations are always a particular highlight of the theme nights — both for the eventgoers and its organizers. Erica explained, “One of my favorite projects that I made is the tree for the ‘Winter Wonderland’ theme last year. I ended up taking it back to my apartment after the theme and we used it like a Christmas decoration.”
On this night, the team’s dedication paid off; deflated balloons lined a “Happy Birthday” sign, posters with quotes such as “Do you want to form an alliance?” were hung, and pantlegs dangled from above the Diner. They went all out with their menu, sneaking inside jokes from the show into beloved dining hall classics. There were Michael’s Beach Game Hot Dogs, Kevin’s Family Chili with undercooked onions, and Beet Risotto from Dwight’s Beet Farm.
Skidmore College student Grace Coale '25 decorates a pretzel during "The Office" themed dinner.
No matter the inspiration, the theme night team never fails to create something special for the Skidmore community, and I know I speak for us all when I say I can’t wait to see what they do next!