69´«Ã½

The annual village event paid tribute Saturday to Wells College, a part of the lakeside community for more than 150 years until its closure in June.

Robin Driskel, a member of the event's committee, told 69´«Ã½ the college was chosen as the theme not long after the announcement in April that it would close.Ìý

"We're a very small village and Wells was a huge part of it, so we could not have this big village celebration and not acknowledge that," she said.

"It's like having a memorial service for a beloved relative."

The college's iconography was not hard to spot at AuroraFest.ÌýAttendees on Saturday wore shirts referencing Wells and its signature red and white colors during the parade down Main Street and the subsequent gathering at the AA field on the college's campus. The event also celebrated its own 50th anniversary, as it started in 1974 and ended in the mid-2010s before being revived in 2022.Ìý

The  was among the many vendors with a booth on the field, where it gave away Wells-themed merchandise. The , an alumni group that is seeking more information about the college's abrupt closure, had a space at the event as well. The parade was followed by live music, games, food and more.

Driskel said that while she did not attend Wells, she has felt connected to the college since coming to Aurora in 2005.Ìý

"You can't live in Aurora and not have some connection to Wells," she said.

Driskel went to the college's fitness center and participated in activities on campus, she said, and has friends and neighbors who attended and worked at Wells. Because the closure has been difficult for everyone in the community, AuroraFest was a cherished opportunity for them — and particularly alumni — to come together and share memories.Ìý

Among those alumni was Mary Webber, a member of the college's class of 2017 and another AuroraFest committee member. She told 69´«Ã½ that while she enjoyed seeing fellow Wells graduates at the event, the experience was bittersweet due to the amount of history she has with the college. Formerly its director of annual giving, she said Wells has been part of her life for more than a decade and the site of her first job, as an admissions counselor. She also noted that Friday would have been the first day of orientation for the college's next class of students.

"It's a moment that we all can take (to) really cherish what we had and to remember," she said. "What I think about AuroraFest and just Wells in general is that it was very much a community place, a family and a home. And what we strive to do for AuroraFest is just (hold) an event where we can all get together and have so much fun."

Una Moneypenny, who was Wells' director of alumnae and alumni engagement, a class of 1985 graduate and a member of the Association of Alumnae and Alumni, told 69´«Ã½ she was happy to see people at the event. With a slight smile, she said she's confident the college's graduates will continue supporting each other despite its closure.Ìý

"I believe we will go on in some fashion," she said.