Thousands expected in Akron to mark Founders Day and birthplace of Alcoholics Anonymous

Craig Webb, Akron Beacon Journal
Updated ·2 min read
Bill W. and Dr. Bob first met at the Gate Lodge at Stan Hywet Hall and formulated the organization's founding principles.
Bill W. and Dr. Bob first met at the Gate Lodge at Stan Hywet Hall and formulated the organization's founding principles.

Thousands of visitors are expected to gather this weekend in Greater Akron to mark the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous in Akron.

This year's Founders Day gathering will be the second back in person at the University of Akron since the pandemic.

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It marks the 88th anniversary of group's founding in Akron, and some 9,000 participants are typically expected to listen to the speakers who share stories of their paths to sobriety and follow tours of places that played a pivotal role in the organization's history.

The annual gathering, which starts Friday on the University of Akron campus, is held on the weekend closest to June 10, which marks the day in 1935 when AA founder Dr. Bob took his last drink. For more information about the event, visit https://foundersday.org/.

Some of the places that played a key role in AA's history — like where Bill W. and Dr. Bob first met at the Gate Lodge at Stan Hywet Hall and formulated the organization's founding principles — will be open for tours.

Admission to the Gate Lodge and its exhibit, Henrietta Seiberling: A Spark for a Movement, will be free.

There will be a Reflections Tent on the grounds where visitors can share their recovery stories, and the Summit Wellness by 91.3 The Summit will feature recovery music from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday and Sunday.

A free shuttle will travel between Stan Hywet and the University of Akron from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.

The Gate Lodge is where Henrietta Buckler Seiberling brought together Bill W. and Dr. Bob on Mother's Day in 1935 for a conversation about their drinking problems.

This conversation led to the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Dr. Bob's Akron home and museum on Ardmore Avenue will also be open.

His gravesite in the Mount Peace Cemetery will be another likely stop as members visit and often leave sobriety coins on his gravestone.

Hundreds of motorcycles are expected to make the trek to the gravesite Sunday morning.

Craig Webb can be reached at cwebb@thebeaconjournal.com.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Founders Day 2023: Thousands to visit Akron to mark birth place of AA