to sight reading a piece. This audition is played on the main chimes console, but compets only press the dampers halfway, and therefore the chimes remain silent. Those who pass the silent audition move on to coached concerts, and then, finally, judged concerts, where compets take on the full responsibilities of a chimesmaster. The Cornell Chimes welcome visitors to all concerts. McGraw Tower In 1873 the chimes were moved from a ground-level playing stand to McGraw Hall. In 1891, they were moved to their permanent home atop McGraw Tower, designed by Cornell alumnus William Henry Miller. The 173-foot (53 m) tower is Cornell's most prominent landmark and is adjacent to Uris Library. The tower is also home to an office, museum, practice room, and a restored 1875 Seth Thomas clock with a 14-foot pendulum. Visitors can still see the clockworks and pendulum, but the clock was linked to the Global Positioning System in 1999. Pranks On October 8, 1997, a pumpkin appeared atop the spire of McGraw Tower. How it was placed there is not publicly known. Because of the danger involved in retrieving it, administrators decided to leave it until it rotted and fell off. However, the pumpkin rapidly dried out in the cold air and remained on the tower until it was removed with a crane on March 13, 1998 (it was planned that Provost Don M. Randel would remove it, but in a practice run the crane basket was blown by a gust of wind and knocked the pumpkin off). Some people said a real pumpkin could not stay up that long without rotting and that it must be artificial. However, subsequent morphological, chemical, and DNA analysis by faculty members and undergraduates confirmed that it was indeed a pumpkin. In April 2005, a disco ball was attached to the top of the tower. A crane was hired to remove the offending orb, costing the university about $20,000. On December 1, 2019, a large Santa Claus hat was discovered on top of the tower. See also Altgeld Chimes Far Above Cayuga's Waters References External links Cornell Chimes Website The story of the pumpkin entry on McGraw Tower Video of chimes being played - Part 1 Video of chimes being played - Part 2 Video of chimes being played - Part 3 Chimes Bells (percussion) Clock towers in New York (state)