TheFlashToday.com NEWS & SPORTS – FREE & LOCAL
STEPHENVILLE (October 7, 2015) — Tarleton State University’s 2015 Homecoming, “Ever Forward, Ever Onward,” is scheduled Sunday, Oct. 11 through Saturday, Oct. 17.
A Purple Out picnic, yell contest, parade, tailgating event and a football game are among the festivities planned as Tarleton gears up for this year’s homecoming celebration to welcome alumni and families back to campus.
Homecoming 2015 kicks off Oct. 11 with an Ignite the Night Smokestack Lighting Concert and barbecue cook-off in Heritage Park. Various student organizations begin the barbecue competition at 2 p.m. followed by live music at 6 p.m. This year’s concert features two acts with music by Kimberly Kelly and Brandon Rhyder. The lighting of the storied Tarleton smokestack is set for 9 p.m. when the iconic landmark is bathed in purple light for homecoming week.
On Oct. 12, Tarleton’s Student Government Association (SGA) opens online polls for the student body to vote for this year’s homecoming queen. Polling takes place for three days before ending at 4 p.m. Oct. 14.
A recently formed homecoming tradition, the Launching of the Ducks, takes place at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 12 at the Nursing Building reflecting pools. Sponsored by the Residential Housing Association and the Office of Student Life, the event features rubber ducks with student-inspired messages floating in the pools. The ducks will remain in the pool until Saturday.
At 6 p.m. Oct. 12, President F. Dominic Dottavio and Dr. Lisette Dottavio welcome students to Trogdon House for the annual Silver Bugle Hunt, presented by the Tarleton Ambassadors. Teams will race across campus hoping to properly answer trivia questions that lead them to the coveted hidden Silver Bugle. To register a team for the Silver Bugle Hunt, visitwww.tarleton.edu/ambassadors/silver-bugle-hunt.html. Cost to register a four-person team is $20.
Organization Day is celebrated Oct. 13, as students are encouraged to wear shirts to represent their organizations. The Tarleton Ambassadors also begin selling the official Homecoming 2015 T-shirts from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Dining Hall patio. At 5 p.m., the School-Wide Activities Team (SWAT) hosts a Purple Out Picnic at the Dining Hall patio featuring food and live music. All are invited to attend the event that includes the crowning of this year’s homecoming king and introduction of the queen nominees.
Also on Oct. 13, Tarleton hosts the much-anticipated Yell Contest—an event that draws a packed house to Wisdom Gym each year when student organizations compete in performances that include step and dance moves to original chants and yells in line with the homecoming theme. Yell Contest begins at 9 p.m. Immediately after the event, everyone is invited to participate in the Snake Dance, which will lead the crowd from the gym to the Barry B. Thompson Student Center amphitheater to commence the Beating of the Drums—a time-honored tradition that continues ‘round-the-clock until kickoff at Saturday’s football game.
On Wednesday, Oct. 14, the Tarleton Ambassadors continue the official homecoming T-shirt sale from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. at the Dining Hall patio.
That evening, Tarleton basketball fans are invited to Wisdom Gym for Midnight Madness to meet the 2015-2016 Texan and TexAnn teams. Doors to the gym open at 11:15 p.m. on Oct. 14, with teams set to take the court at the stroke of midnight. This year’s men’s basketball team, coming off their NCAA Final Four appearance in March, is ranked No. 1 in the nation among Division II programs in preseason polls.
Official T-shirt sales continue from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Oct. 15 at the Dining Hall patio. At 10:30 p.m., Tarleton Student Government Association welcomes students, faculty, staff and alumni to Midnight Breakfast at the Dining Hall. Free purple pancakes, sausage and eggs will be served until 12:30 a.m. and all are invited to partake in this unique Tarleton tradition.
On Friday, the Tarleton Alumni Association (TAA) officially begins welcoming alumni back to campus when they hold registration at the Alumni Center from noon to 5 p.m. The Alumni Center is located at 343 McIlhaney St. across from the east rock gates. The TAA is providing activities for families and children from noon to 5 p.m., including inflatables and free refreshments. The first 500 alumni to register with the TAA receive a free Tarleton alumnus T-shirt. The TAA also provides an opportunity to join the association during this time.
Also on Friday, the annual J. Dixon White Homecoming Golf Classic, presented by Tarleton’s Recreational Sports Department, tees off at noon at Legends Country Club in Stephenville. Team registration begins at 10:30 a.m. For more information about the golf tournament, please call 254-968-9912 or visit www.tarleton.edu/recsports/documents/Alumni-Community/2015golf.pdf to download a registration form.
Friday’s homecoming activities continue at 4 p.m. with the All-Class Reunion Reception at the Tarleton Alumni Center. At 5:30 p.m., a 25-year and 50-year class reunion reception and dinner honoring the classes of 1990 and 1965 takes place in the Thompson Student Center ballrooms. Tickets are $25 per person with proceeds benefiting the TAA scholarship fund. For more information, contact the TAA at 254-968-9682 or visit www.tarletonalumni.org.
Friday’s activities continue at 6 p.m. when the TexAnn volleyball team hosts Texas Woman’s in Wisdom Gym for an exciting Lone Star Conference match-up.
At 7 p.m., alumni and the community are invited to attend the L.V. Risinger Memorial Bonfire Celebration until 10:30 p.m. at the College Farm. Tarleton’s cheer squads, band and others open the event with a spirit rally ahead of the 9 p.m. lighting of the bonfire, built annually by the Tarleton Plowboys. During the event this year’s Homecoming King will be crowned, along with introductions of the entire 2015 Homecoming Court.
The first annual Tarleton Greeks Alumni Gathering also takes place on Friday, Oct. 16, at City Hall at City Limits. The event is open to former Greeks from 7 p.m. to midnight.
Saturday’s homecoming events begin with the 8th annual Memorial Homecoming 5k Run, sponsored by Recreational Sports; registration begins at 6:45 a.m. at the covered pavilion in Stephenville City Park located at 378 W. Long St. The race starts at 8 a.m., and the entry fee is $25 per runner. For more information about the 5k Run, call 254-968-9912 or visitwww.tarleton.edu/recsports/documents/Fitness-Wellness/5ks/Form2015bw.pdf to download a registration form.
Alumni registration continues from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday morning at the Alumni Center, with the TAA again providing activities for families and children, including inflatables and refreshments.
From 8 to 9 a.m., the College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences hosts its annual Alumni Breakfast at Tarleton’s Southwest Regional Dairy Center, located at the intersection of North College Farm Road and US Hwy. 281 north of Stephenville.
The annual homecoming parade begins at 10 a.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium along Harbin Drive and continues down Washington Street before turning onto McIlhaney Street and down Vanderbilt Street. To view a map of this year’s parade route, visitwww.tarleton.edu/homecoming/homecoming-parade.html.
Immediately following the parade, the public is invited to a dedication ceremony of the new Alumni Island in the heart of campus, featuring a larger-than-life bronze statue of university founder John Tarleton. Unveiled in July, the new Alumni Island is located on Military Drive adjacent to Trogdon House and in front of the E.J. Howell Education Building.
At noon, The TexAnn volleyball team hosts its second game of the weekend when it faces Texas A&M-Commerce in Wisdom Gym. Tickets to the game are available at the gym’s box office.
At 2 p.m. a Texas-sized tailgate party takes place at Texan Alley, adjacent to Memorial Stadium and the Dr. Vance Terrell Intramural Complex. New tailgating policies have been implemented this year at Texan Alley. For more information or to reserve a spot for tailgating, visit www.tarleton.edu/recsports/TexanAlley/index.html.
The Texans’ homecoming football game vs. Eastern New Mexico kicks off at 6 p.m., and the ticket booth will open at 4 on the west side of the stadium. For ticket information, call 254-968-1832. During halftime, this year’s homecoming queen will be crowned along with a performance by Tarleton’s marching band, The Sound & The Fury, and the Texan Stars dance team.
For more information about this year’s Homecoming activities or to print a complete schedule of events, visithttp://www.tarleton.edu/homecoming/documents/homecomingschedule.pdf.
Tarleton, a member of The Texas A&M University System, provides a student-focused, value-driven educational experience marked by academic innovation and exemplary service, and dedicated to transforming students into tomorrow’s professional leaders. With campuses in Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Midlothian and online, Tarleton engages with its communities to provide real-world learning experiences and to address societal needs while maintaining its core values of integrity, leadership, tradition, civility, excellence and service.
Be the first to comment