The venerable Hope College Pull tug-of-war — which this fall is marking its 126^th year in existence — will take place on Saturday, Sept. 30, at 3 p.m. along the south side of 11^th Street between Lincoln and Fairbanks avenues.

The public is invited. Admission is free.

First held in 1898, the Pull is an annual fall highlight at Hope. In the competition, freshman and sophomore teams, entrenched in shallow pits on opposite sides, attempt to gain the most rope through their strength and stamina. This year’s contest will feature members of the sophomore Class of 2025 and freshman Class of 2026.

Although it’s been around for 125 years, this won’t be the 125^th Pull.  There have been five known cancellations, and there’s no record of whether or not there was a Pull during some of the earliest years after the first.

Each team has the same number of members, with up to 18 students apiece on the rope as “pullers” and an equivalent total acting as guides and morale boosters, or “moralers.” The freshmen are coached by the junior class while the sophomores are instructed by the seniors. The coaching arrangement also leads to a rivalry between the even-year and odd-year classes.

The Pull was canceled most recently in 2020, because of the global COVID-19 pandemic. The other four cancellations were during the world wars (1918, 1943 and 1944), and because of a campus-wide flu epidemic (1957).  There is no record of the contests from 1899 through 1908.