By Ezra Austin, Special Writer
March 14 is Pi Day, but for many residents, the celebration began early. Over the past four days, Princeton has been filled with activities honoring the famous number, as well as the legacy one of the town’s most notable inhabitants, Albert Einstein.
“Princeton was [Einstein’s] American home town. He lived here for over 20 years,” said Mimi Omiecinksi, Princeton Pi Day event organizer. Pi Day, which comes every March 14 (the date containing the most significant digits of pi, 3.14), is also Einstein’s birthday. Ms. Omiencinski began the festival seven years ago, after she learned of the coincidence.
Since it’s creation, the Princeton Pi Day festival has grown to encompass a wide range of events, with attendees increasing each year.
“Over the course of the years, I really think Princeton Pi day has taken on a life of it’s own,” Ms. Omiecinski said.
Indeed, the festival has gained regional fame; many pi enthusiasts come from out of state to take part in the event. One such attendee, Dylan Jackaway, won Saturday’s pi recitation contest, during which he recited the number pi correctly to 2,000 places.
“I did a full run-through when I was on the train here,” said Dylan, a 13-year-old from New York. “I’ve been practicing different pieces of it over the years.” Fortunately for Dylan, the hard work paid off, and he was awarded a check for $314.15 for winning the contest.
With 30 separate events spanning the course of five days, Princeton’s Pi Day celebrations are very elaborate. In addition to the Pi recitation contest, other events include a pie eating contest, a bike tour, film screenings, a pie throwing event, and an Einstein lookalike contest, which was won by 9-year-old Andrew Marcucci on Saturday.
For Andrew, embodying Einstein wasn’t hard. “He’s really smart, and he’s kind of like me ’cause I do really well in school,” Andrew said.
The festival, in addition to providing family friendly activities, also gives a notable boost to local business.
“When people are staying in the hotels nearby, they’re more likely to shop longer,” Ms. Omicienski said.
Dedication to the local economy is an essential element of the Pi Day festival, she said. “Every year, we get lots of businesses from outside of Princeton ask if they can rent a table or sell things, but we’ve made a commitment not to do that.”
Going a step further, some local businesses are eager to have an active role in the festival. In honor of Pi Day, the Princeton Garden Theater held a special screening of the movie “Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius,” which features a protagonist based on Einstein.
“I love Pi Day at Princeton!” said Jamaica Ponder, an employee at the theater. “People just get so into it.”
The show, which took place Saturday morning, nearly sold out. “We had hoards of young children flooding through the doors,” Ms. Ponder said. “They’re so excited to learn about science.”
For Jake Herway, of Princeton Bike Tours, the festival was also an opportunity to recognize Princeton’s rich farm culture. Mr. Herway led a group of 18 on a farm-to-table themed expedition.
“We see all the spots Einstein frequented, then we eat pies at Terhune Orchards,” Mr. Herway said.
While this year’s Pi Day festivities have included staples from previous years, there were new events as well, such as a book talk from award-winning author Thomas Levenson, as well as a Pi Day concert by musician and composer Wilbo Wright.
Ms. Omicienski is happy the community’s mobilization around Pi Day. “I don’t know if there’s another town anywhere on Earth that celebrates Einstein’s birthday the way we do,” she said. “We’re proud of that.”
