Grace Cavanaugh ~ Copy Editor
Homecoming Weekend for the University of Lynchburg is this weekend, Oct. 18-19, 2019.
Jessica Jennings, the assistant director of alumni relations, said, “We will have events on Friday and Saturday. Saturday is our big day with the fourth annual tailgate for the university. On Friday, we have a couple of events for our alumni. We have our alumni awards dinner, and there is a reception before that.”
In a brochure sent out by the University of Lynchburg, events are listed and described. The Alumni Awards Dinner mentioned by Jennings is from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the Burton Dining Hall. Several awards will be given out, according to the brochure, including the T. Gibson Hobbs Award and the Distinguished Alumni Award. Alumni attending will be required to dress up, as specified by the brochure: “coat and tie for men, dress/pantsuit for women.”
After the dinner, there is the Welcome Home Reception from 9-10:30 p.m. Alumni in attendance will enjoy a “[c]ash bar, hors d’oeuvres, 1 complimentary drink ticket, and a DJ,” according to the brochure. This event will be in the Living Room on the [third] floor of Drysdale.
Also on Friday is the Hornet to Hornet (H2H) event that will bring students and alumni together, according to an email sent by Beverly Reid on Oct. 14. Another event open to students and alumni is Midnight Madness, also on Friday, which is a “[s]tudent event to open the men’s and women’s basketball seasons,” according to the Homecoming brochure.
“Saturday is our big day,” said Jennings. “We will have a fraternity and sorority breakfast in the morning, and then our tailgate starts at 12:00 [p.m.] and it goes […] to six, and students are invited to come.”
The Fraternity & Sorority Reunion Continental Breakfast will be in the East Room of Drysdale, according to the brochure; “Join the members of the fraternity and sorority community for a continental breakfast. Come and meet the current members of your organization.”
Afterwards is the Homecoming Tailgate Event, located at the Hopwood Hall Parking Lot. On their Facebook page, the Lynchburg Alumni Association said, “There will be prizes for the tailgate with the best food and for the top two tailgate spots with the most Lynchburg spirit! Bring your friends, wear your red, and show off your cooking skills.”
Jennings said, “What we would ask is that you check in at one of our three entrances. We are going to have an entrance up by Carnegie, by the psychology building, and also in the Dell.”
She continued, “You do need to bring your government issued photo I.D. to enter. Every I.D. will be scanned to enter the tailgate, and if you are over 21, we will give you a wristband. If you are under 21, we will have to mark your hand with an X.”
“We will also have a bunch of activities in the Dell that will start at 12:00 [p.m.] […] and going until 5:00 [p.m.],” said Jennings. “We will have a photo booth, a henna artist, and a character artist all within the Dell, so students are welcome to enjoy all of those activities.”
Amanda Linehan, a junior, has attended the Homecoming Tailgate in the past. She said, “I enjoyed being able to go to different tents to chat with people I know, as well as make connections with people. This year, I am volunteering for the kid’s corner with the entirety of Greek Life, and I love that we will be able to give back to our community that is coming out to support us!”
During the tailgate, a tour of the new residence hall will be available to alumni starting at 1:00 p.m., according to Jennings. There will also be a “couple of special events […] in remembrance for one of our alumni, John Reilly,” said Jennings. There is also a Greet the Garrens event at 3:00 p.m., according to the brochure. “At 4:00 [p.m.] we have a retirement celebration for Richard Pumphrey, who is an art professor, so if students have had him in the past, they are welcome to come to that as well,” said Jennings.
There will be sports games played throughout the tailgate, including men and women’s soccer games and a field hockey game. On the Dell, “there will also be student groups,” mentioned Jennings. “Some fraternities and sororities will have tables.”
“Last year we had close to 2,000 people for the tailgate,” said Jennings, “so we are hoping to exceed that this year.”
Jennings finished, saying, “Everyone is welcome to attend. We want to see our students there.”
For more information about the Homecoming Weekend schedule, please visit https://www.lynchburg.edu/wp-content/uploads/homecoming/Homecoming-2019-Brochure_final.pdf.
