Thousands of visitors from near and far will be in Greater Akron this weekend to mark the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Like last year, this Founders Day The meeting will be at the University of Akron, but visitors will visit sites in and around the city that have played a role in the organization’s history.
The university has a relatively new clear bag policy for this year’s meet, so all visitors are not allowed to bring traditional purses, fanny packs, or even camera cases to the event.
The event marks the 89th anniversary of the group’s founding in Akron, and about 9,000 attendees typically attend to hear speakers share stories of their paths to sobriety and take tours.
The annual meeting, which begins Friday, is held the weekend around June 10, which marks the day in 1935 that AA founder Dr. Bob had his last drink.
For more information about the event, visit https://foundersday.org/.
Some of the places that played a pivotal role in AA history – like where Bill W. and Dr. Bob first met in Gate Lodge at Stan Hywet Hall and formulated the founding principles of the organization – will be open for visits.
Entry to the Gate Lodge and its exhibition, Henrietta Seiberling: A Spark for a Movement, will be free.
There will be a Reflection Tent on site where visitors can share their recovery stories, and Summit Wellness by 91.3 The Summit will feature recovery music throughout the weekend.
A free shuttle will travel between Stan Hywet and the University of Akron.
The Gate Lodge was where Henrietta Buckler Seiberling brought Bill W. and Dr. Bob together on Mother’s Day in 1935 for a talk about their drinking problems.
This conversation led to the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Dr. Bob’s House in Akron and the museum on Ardmore Avenue will also be open for tours.
His tomb in Monte Paz Cemetery will be another likely stop when members visit him and often leave sobriety coins on his tombstone.
Hundreds of motorcycles make the journey from the University of Akron campus to the tomb on Sunday morning.
This article originally appeared in the Akron Beacon Journal: Thousands of people are expected in Akron this weekend for AA Founders Day weekend
