As the semester comes reaches the midway point, an action-packed week is set to return: Homecoming. Last year, the COVID-19 pandemic caused Concord to cancel its Homecoming activities. However, this year, Concord University has prepared a full week of exciting activities for its students, which will allow them to participate in a safe environment.
According to Andrew Sulgit, Director of Student Activities, the only noteworthy change is that the events will take place outdoors rather than indoors to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Here’s a sneak peak of the weekly overview for Homecoming week at Concord.
Monday, October 4th
Monday morning starts off with one of the most popular student activities, “Create A Creature,” which is the Concord version of creating a Build-A-Bear. These “creatures” sell out very quickly, so if you’re interested in participating you should get there as early as possible.
During the middle of the day, a few other activities taking place are personalizing your own face mask and/or license plate, snapping pictures in a photo booth, and picking up a free t-shirt (available after you vote online for Homecoming King and Queen) at the Student Center.
In the evening, there will be outdoor laser tag from 6-8 p.m. in the front lawn. This version will be outside to allow more people to play at a time.
Tuesday, October 5th
On Tuesday morning, students can personalize their own dry-erase board, door decoration(s), and/or name plate, and the photo booth will be set up for a second straight day. Also, that night, there will be a trivia game show held outside underneath a large tent.
At 7 p.m., there will be an Alumni Speaker Presentation by Jonathan Gore (2017 graduate)—recently ran in the Paralympics—in the State Room inside the Beasley Student Center.
Wednesday, October 6th
Throughout the day on Wednesday, students can customize their own tumblers and coffee mugs. The photo booth will also be available for the third and final day. Locations and times for these activities are still to be determined.
At 4 pm, there will be a picnic outside. Later that day, at 8 p.m., there will be some form of bingo underneath a big tent outside. Bingo is another very popular activity, so get there as early to ensure you get a seat.
Thursday, October 7th
Thursday’s events start in the evening at 6 p.m. with the parade and bonfire. Following those events there will be a group called the “Ohio Burn Unit” perform an outdoor entertainment show consisting of fire-breathing, fire-juggling, etc. If you thought the night was over there, you’re mistaken. After this show, an Americana band from Mississippi named “The Great Dying” will play to cap off the night.
Friday, October 8th
The final day before Homecoming, students will have the opportunity to compete for prizes in Concord’s own version of the Olympics, which will consist of games like cornhole and horseshoes. The other event on Friday, “CU After Hours,” is from 5-7 pm at the President’s House for Concord University alumni and their guests, which consists of live music and food. RSVP is required for this event.
Saturday, October 9th (Homecoming)
From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., there will be the “Keg & Eggs” event at University Point featuring live music and free breakfast and beverages prior to the football game, which is mainly for alumni, but students are welcome to attend as well. This event will also require a RSVP. Once the clock hits 1 p.m., Concord’s Homecoming football game versus West Liberty will kick off. At halftime of the game, the Homecoming King and Queen will be revealed. This will conclude the last Concord’s Homecoming for 2021.
In the midst of the COVID-19 delta variant, Concord University is making its best effort to ensure its students experience as normal a Homecoming week as possible. When Homecoming week arrives, go out and try something different, make a new friend, get involved on campus, and as Andrew Sulgit said at the end of his interview for this article, “Pray for no rain.”
Check the Activity Calendar on the website for updates and more fun events on campus.
by Jared Sandy