Maryland Day Looks Back at Its Roots, and to the…

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:

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