Let’s face it. After a couple of months, the University of Maine can be gray. It seems like the color just drains from the sky, and students seem to be left waiting until April to see the sun again. On a lighter note, the meek nature of Orono weather also means the return of UMaine hockey and all the characters that come with it. From the “Naked 5” to the lively security guards, the Alfond has the ability to add a fun light to the lives of students here. To incorporate more whimsy on campus, one student, known as the UMaine gnome, repurposed a Halloween costume from his freshman year to wear to a hockey game, and the rest is history.
The UMaine gnome went out on a whim at the end of his freshman year and showed up at a hockey game in his costume from months prior. After that, his friends “convinced him” to wear it to more games. At his request, I will keep his identity private, but I was able to sit down with the man behind the beard. The gnome told me that while it was somewhat of a dare to wear it to games, he’s “always loved Halloween” and “keeps a folder on his computer” of prospective costumes.
While he started his persona at the end of his freshman year, his friends encouraged him to bring his whimsy to social media at the start of his sophomore year last fall, but he never expected it to take off this way. He said things became real when “the official University of Maine followed [his] Instagram account.” Moreover, he was recently invited to walk in the OronoFest parade by the town council, and that “made things feel real.” On the topic of his content, he said he’s “always loved dancing” and thinks that it’s an easy creative outlet. He further believes that “being good at dancing is subjective” and that “it shows people how easy it is to have fun.”
On the topic of his attendance at events, he said that hockey games are “an accessible way to find community” and that he just “loves to have fun on campus.” While he has amassed quite the following, he enjoys being a mystery. While his friends and family know that it’s him, he said he often has “friends come up to him showing [him] [his] content not even knowing it’s him.” Overall, he just loves to “have fun,” and he continues it “because it brightens people’s day.” He often has people come up to him at games to tell him how much they love his content, and that makes him “feel like he’s making an impact.” While it’s a silly thing, it’s clear that this is a way that he continues to choose joy in his life.
You may be wondering why he keeps his identity secret, and he said it’s because “it’s fun to not have people know it’s you.” While he doesn’t come out and advertise it, he said people sometimes “figure it out from his voice or the way he acts.” Even off campus, people have started to recognize him. While at home, he substitute teaches in his local high school and middle school, and he says “the students have started to figure it out and they always want to talk about it.” While he mentioned that he never expected to have it take off, this just shows another way he brings joy to the people around him.
When asked if he had any advice for students here at UMaine, he started by saying “a lot of people are kinda nervous to go out and be themselves,” and at first “he was scared too,” but he found that “everyone is so supportive.” His overall message is that he “doesn’t think that people should be afraid.” So when things get gray, remember that sometimes the smallest things can be a way to choose joy, and that joy is a ripple effect. You never know what can come from putting yourself out there; take it from the guy in a gnome costume who put himself out there once and is now a joyous staple of the Alfond’s Jumbotron.
