Homecoming Hacks: A Guide to SEMO’s 150th Homecoming Weekend

With homecoming rapidly approaching, here is a complete guide to make sure you don’t miss a thing. The 150th homecoming celebration will take place October 13-14 and will feature numerous events and activities.

__Alumni__

Homecoming is full of alumni events and celebrations. The activities will begin on Thursday, Oct. 12, with the Alumni Association Awards Celebration in Academic Hall.

The Alumni Association will host the event from 5-7 p.m. and will honor five award recipients.

Director of alumni relations George Gasser said they are expecting a large turnout of alumni for the weekend.

“We’ve had a really aggressive campaign to try to get our alumni to come back,” Gasser said. “I’m hopeful that we will have over 10,000 alumni.”

The activities continue Saturday, Oct. 14, with the Alumni Grab ‘n Go Breakfast at the Wehking Alumni Center. Breakfast will be served from 8-10:30 a.m..To attend the event, RSVP with the Alumni Association.

The Wehking Center will also host the Class of 1973 50-year reunion on Saturday. The Alumni Association said the event will last from 8:30-11:00 AM. The event is free but reservations are required. You can RSVP through the Alumni Association.

__Block Party__

The Block Party is the newest edition to Homecoming and is exclusive to SEMO’s 150th celebration. The block party will be held on Oct. 13 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at the Academic Hall - Kent Library Quad.

Southeast Missouri State University stated parking for the block party will be available at the Show Me Center and shuttles will be available to take guests directly to and from the event. The University said attire should be “Redhawk casual.”

Gasser said the event will include 45 vendors and local businesses, a petting zoo, puppies, giveaways, inflatables, games and activities, a beer garden, and a VIP tent.

“Everyone really needs to stop by and check it out, because it’s one of the last ones we’ll do for the next 150 years,” Gasser said.

The block party will also feature the long awaited “Change is Coming” announcement from Dr. Vargas. Southeast Missouri State University stated the announcement will take place at 5:30 pm.

“It’ll affect every facet of the university and it’ll set up the university for success for the next 150 years or more,” Gasser said.

__Football Parade & Tailgates__

Saturday's festivities will begin with the annual Homecoming parade from 9:30-10:30 AM. The parade will start at Capaha park, go down Broadway and onto Main Street.

SEMO Homecoming stated the parade will feature floats, campus organizations, marching bands, alumni and student digitaries.

Assistant director of event services Gretchen Grojean said the homecoming floats in the parade will be created by a pairing of a sorority and fraternity(s). Each group will compete for the best float that correlates with the decade’s theme.

“Each of our pairings competing in the homecoming [parade] will be featuring a decade that they selected from a list that we prepared,” Grojean said. “And so their floats will talk about popular culture or events that happened in that decade.”

Grojean said that each group will have a sub-theme for their floats to incorporate Southeast History from their selected decade.

Following the parade, the Alumni Association will be holding two tailgates on Oct. 14.

The Alumni Association Tailgate will take place outside Wehking Alumni Center from 11a.m.-1 p.m.. The Allied Health, Kinesiology, and Sports Sciences Alumni Tailgate will be in front of Houck Field from 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

Reservations for tailgate spots are required for the first time this year. You can reserve your spot online and spaces are limited.

The SEMO Redhawks will face the Eastern Illinois Panthers at 2 p.m. at the newly renovated Houck Stadium.

Tickets are available for purchase on the SEMO Redhawks website. On Target Sports will also be posting live updates throughout the game for those who are unable to attend.