Thunder Rolls in for SUU's Annual Homecoming Week

Published: September 16, 2015 | Author: Alex Homer | Read Time: 4 minutes

Alumni, students, community members, and families are invited to Homecoming Week, the time of year where we all come together to celebrate the past, present and future of Southern Utah University. Homecoming week brings together the Cedar City community for a multitude of festivities, with this year offering a plethora of activities for students, faculty, stuff, alumni and community members to get involved in.

Tuesday, September 22
The annual Miss SUU Pageant kicks off the week as Lady T-Birds compete in a variety of events to determine who is the next Miss SUU. Heather Garcia, the reigning Miss SUU, will pass her crown off to the woman who wows the judges and crowd in the SUU Auditorium at 8 p.m.

Wednesday, September 23
The day’s sole event, the Alumni and Student Band Concert, begins at 7 p.m. in the Heritage Center. The event is free for anyone interested in attending.

Thursday, September 24
The week rolls on with an Alumni Awards Banquet in the Gilbert Great Hall at 6:30 p.m. Mitsuyo Miyazaki (‘99) as an outstanding alumnae, Mark Russel (‘74) will be honored with the distinguished service award and Micah Paul Keith (‘06) as a young alumnus. To RSVP for the event, call 435-586-7777.

The night festivities kick off with the annual Powder Puff Football game. The game features 25 Lady T-Birds and is a great opportunity for friends and family to enjoy more football action at 8 p.m. in the Eccles Coliseum.

Following the Powder Puff Football Game, the Pep Rally in the Eccles Coliseum will ensue at 9 p.m. Sure to be energetic, the Pep Rally gives students an opportunity to get riled up for the football game on Saturday.

Friday, September 25
The afternoon starts with a “Friends of Phi All-Greek BBQ” at Cedar City’s Main Street Park at 4 p.m. Contact Stacee McIff at smciff@hotmail.com for more details. The School of Business is hosting a reception at 5 p.m. on the first floor of Old Main with honorary guest Gary Giles.

Heading into the night, there will be a SUUSA Reunion at 6 p.m. in the Hunter Conference Center, followed shortly thereafter by a movie screening of Where We Begin, a short dance/drama by Miyazaki.

The Utah Shakespeare Festival is holding a Homecoming special that night with $10 off each ticket to see Dracula.

The night is headlined by the timeless annual Forever Red event beginning at 8 p.m. on the Upper Quad with free food for everyone in attendance. Live music kicks off with Peter Breinholt & Big Parade followed by Boogie Knight and the Spazmatics, with a showing of Back Up the Mountain sandwiched in between and fireworks to conclude.

At the conclusion of The Forever Red event, the crowd will make its way down to the SUU statue: Old Sorrel. Hopefuls gather around the statue in hopes of cementing their status as a “True T-Bird” with a kiss at the stroke of midnight. Student, alumni or otherwise, it’s a good excuse to get a smooch; chapstick and mints provided.

Saturday, September 26
Bright and early the next morning, all are invited to participate in the traditional SUUper Sorrel 5K Run & Walk at 7:30 a.m. beginning at Coal Creek Trailhead. The event, hosted by the SUU ROTC, is a great opportunity for students, faculty, staff and the community to support the ROTC while getting some exercise.

Following the run, a pancake breakfast will be served at the Alumni House for free at 9 a.m., sponsored by the Emeriti, Alumni and Student Alumni Associations. The annual parade will come trekking along at 10 a.m. down University Boulevard with floats produced by student organizations and local businesses.

The Utah Shakespeare Festival Homecoming discount continues into Saturday with Two Gentleman of Verona at the Randall Jones Theatre at 2 p.m. and finishes with another Dracula showing that night at 7 p.m. The Alpha Phi Alumnae Tea Reception, hosting its 20^th anniversary celebration, is in the Gilbert Great Hall at 2:30 p.m.

And what would Homecoming week be without a football game? Tailgating begins at 4 p.m. in the Softball Parking Lot just west of Eccles Coliseum. At 6 p.m. the Thunderbirds will take on the Brevard College Tornadoes in the prime time homecoming game. Current SUU students receive free admittance with a valid student I.D. All other fans are encouraged to purchase their tickets in advance through the Centrum Ticket Office or call 435-586-7872.

These events are just at the surface of events happening during Homecoming Week 2015. Visit suu.edu/alumni/homecoming.html to learn about individual class reunions and other events.

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Contact Information:

435-586-5400
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