Ciceronian Society Day 1 - Updates

Published: Thu, 03/13/25

Good morning!

Today is the day. We are so excited to welcome you to the Hotel Madison and Shenandoah Valley Conference Center for the first day of the 2025 Ciceronian Society conference.

If you’re up for it, consider joining us for Morning Prayer at 8am EST in the Appalachian Ballroom.

Free Book!

On your way in, be sure to find our table to grab a program, your name tag, and a complementary copy of Seth Kaplan’s book, Fragile Neighborhoods (subject of our first session).

Storing Prize Presentation

This evening, we’ll also award the first ever Herbert J. Storing Prize to Dr. Cara Rogers Stevens for her book, Thomas Jefferson and the Fight Against Slavery.

The University Press of Kansas is offering a 30% discount and free domestic shipping on all orders of Cara’s book. Just use code 24JEFFERSON

Schedule Changes

There are some minor changes to the schedule today. Click here for an updated “Master Schedule”, to see changes to Session 3B and Session 4.

Please note that there will be no A/V equipment in the Blue Ridge and Allegheny rooms.

Printing

Need to print anything last minute? If you're a guest at the Hotel Madison, there's no public printer, but you can send them a request to print black-and-white only docs at info@hotelmadison.com

Help us tell our story!

Throughout the event, there are two ways in which you can help the Ciceronian Society tell its story and give the “world” and our supporters a better sense of our personality.

Option #1 - Take pictures! - Help us capture the Ciceronian Society in action! Send them to info@ciceroniansociety.org

Option #2 - Video testimonials - Click here on your smartphone and follow the instructions. Record a brief video with feedback about the conference, what brought you to the conference or what brought you back. Has the Ciceronian Society helped you personally and/or professionally?

Food

Coffee, water, and tea are available each day of the conference. There’s a daily limit to the coffee and tea, but alternatives are available in the hotel if needed.

Breakfast?

Breakfast is not included during the conference. It is also not included for guests at the Hotel Madison, though it is available for purchase at Monty's and Grace&Main within the hotel.

What’s for lunch?

Today, lunch is 12:15 - 1:45 pm and at your discretion. It is not catered. In addition to dining at the hotel, Bella Luna, Cuban Burger, Rocketown Kitchen, Capital Alehouse, and Clementine Cafe are all within walking distance (approx. 15 mins).

What’s for dinner?

Sicilian Dinner Buffet: Mediterranean salad, Italian beef, chicken piccata, penne bolognese, and more.

Please note that we have done our best to accommodate all dietary restrictions and allergies shared through the registration, and the hotel is aware of them.

Help with Sound

Are you someone who is relatively competent with a sound board? If so, we’d like to know. Email info@ciceroniansociety.org

We saved thousands of dollars by bringing in our own sound equipment for these rooms, including mics, speakers, projectors, podiums, etc. But that also means we are our own tech support.

None of this will be super complicated, but let us know if can help us troubleshoot as needed.

Sharing Rooms, Rides, &
Contact Info

We have yet to find an efficient, safe, and affordable way to help facilitate room and ride sharing for attendees. This year is no exception, and we are very open to suggestions and ideas, though we may be on the verge of an answer for next year (more on this soon).

As it is, you’ll probably want to rent a car if you haven’t already. Uber and Lyft are available, but the distance to Dulles and Charlottesville Airports likely make that quite pricey.

Or you can Click here for a list of attendees who have permitted us to share their name and email and try and reach out to attendees you already know.

And if you’re willing to give folks a ride from one of the other hotels (not Hotel Madison), maybe wait around in the hotel lobby, and consider printing and holding up this sign and see if anyone takes you up on it!

If you get stuck at an airport or hotel and need help getting where you need to go, you can send a quick message to info@ciceroniansociety.org or call/text us at (734) 265-0149‬. We’ll do our best to help you if we can.

Once the conference gets going, you’ll hopefully make connections for ride sharing for the rest of the event.

Schedule
(Eastern Time Zone)

Click here to view the printed program

Click here to view the more up-to-date Master Schedule with more recent changes

Prayer Time

Anyone is welcome to join us at 8am on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at the Appalachian Ballroom at Hotel Madison for an abridged version of Morning Prayer as found in the Book of Common Prayer (2019, ACNA). All are welcome.

Where are we meeting?

Hotel Madison & Shenandoah Valley Conference Center

710 S Main St

Harrisonburg, VA 22801

Phone Number: (540) 564-0200

The Hotel’s garage parking is adjacent to the hotel (Mason Street Garage) and the entrance is located off MLK Jr Way. If that entrance is full, there's another entrance off Mason with more spots.

The hotel is accessed via a covered walkway from the garage. The rate is $5 per day per car with unlimited in/out access. They lease spaces in that garage, and collect the fee from guests and track it separately due to these arrangements.

Hospitality Suite

Now that we’ve grown to the size we are, we’re no longer able to host a regular BYOB “hospitality suite” as in year’s past.

We will, however, have times of hospitality and informal conversation in the Appalachian Ballroom with adult beverages and snacks each night of the conference. Every registered attendee will receive one drink ticket redeemable for one beer or glass of wine. Otherwise, it is a cash bar with beer, wine, and liquor.

On Thursday, hospitality will coincide with the catered dinner and Storing Prize Award ceremony. Hospitality will then reopen at 8pm on Friday and Saturday.