A student’s guide to Homecoming Week events

Although homecoming weekend, October 22-24, is recognized as being an eventful and fun couple of days for the entire college community, students have the opportunity to participate in festivities all throughout the week that they will not want to miss out on.

An overarching event that will be taking place during the whole week of October 18-24, as well as throughout the entire month of October, is a giant game of capture the flag run by the Preventing Assault and Violence through Education (PAVE) program. Red and green flags are hidden around campus, and by finding one and turning it into Bartlett 102 or posting a photo on Instagram and tagging @mc_peereducators, students will be able to win prizes. 

“My hope is that everyone gets a chance to explore some corners of campus they haven’t seen before and start thinking more about what they see and do when there are red flags in a relationship,” said Jessica White, MC’s prevention education coordinator. 

Another week-long event, “Find the Scotsman,” is being coordinated by the Student Programming Board (SPB). Maddie Taylor, a junior at MC and the vice president of the SPB, summarized it as a game comparable to hide and seek. Students should stay on the lookout for a paper MC Scotsman that will be hidden in a different location every day during homecoming week. Once found, students will have to wait until the next day to try their luck at finding him again. To claim a prize, post a picture with the Scotsman and tag @mcspb on Instagram. If you don’t have Instagram, don’t worry; you can still receive your prize by emailing the photo to Brad Ward. 

Also arranged by SPB are the daily dress-up themes, beginning on Monday, October 18 with “Spooky-scary” day. Tuesday’s theme will be Disney/Pixar, followed by “Dynamic Duos” on Wednesday. 

In addition to dressing up as their favorite power couple or hero and sidekick combination, students can arrive at Parkway Drive-In movie theater before dusk on Wednesday and enjoy a complimentary scary movie night thrown by the SPB. For more information on movie night details, refer to @mcspb on Instagram. 

Thursday’s dress-up theme gives students the opportunity to flatter their favorite professor by dressing up as them in honor of Faculty/Staff dress-up day. If there is an employee of the college whose style you have always envied, this is your chance to steal their look! 

Spirit dress-up day on Friday comes with some stipulations: Freshmen are asked to wear neutral base colors (grey, black, white, beige) in addition to their garnet and orange, Sophomores are asked to wear yellow, Juniors will wear orange, and Seniors will be sporting garnet. 

SPB has also arranged another spooky-themed event, this one taking place on Friday night. From 7 to 10 p.m., students are invited to Maple Lane Farms to venture through a haunted corn maze. SGA members will be there handing out tickets, allowing MC students to participate for free. 

If being chased by a chainsaw-wielding clown through a corn maze doesn’t appeal to you, consider attending the Alumni baseball game on Friday at 7 p.m. at the baseball field instead. Students can spectate as former members of MC’s baseball team face off against the current players. 

On Saturday, everyone on campus is welcome (and encouraged) to wear garnet and orange. Show out in your most festive MC gear to support our athletic teams and show your school spirit. Before the sporting events begin, however, everyone will have the opportunity to climb the Alpine Tower from 9 a.m. to noon at Crawford House. 

The Blount County Alumni Association (BCAA) will be putting on their annual harvest crafts festival and bake sale on Saturday in the Alumni Gym from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., providing an opportunity for the community to meet local creators and purchase their arts and crafts. This event benefits the BCAA scholarship endowment fund, as well as supporting small businesses. If you are interested in handcrafted goods and baked items, this is the event for you. 

Prospective students can come to the Willard House lawn from.10 a.m. to 1 p.m. to attend the Admissions Tailgate for an opportunity to meet other prospective and current students, play lawn games and have a good time. Taylor urged current students to attend the tailgate and welcome their possible future classmates to campus. 

“It’s great when potential students see other students being involved on campus,” Taylor said.

In addition to the Admissions Team, there will be a large tailgating crowd and multiple food trucks gathering outside the Honaker Field and on the practice football field from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Students can look for a MC student section tailgate tent here, as well as join the section in the front rows on the left side of the bleachers for the football game. For more information on the student section tailgate and theme, follow @maryvillecollegestudentsection on Instagram. 

The annual Homecoming Parade begins at 1 p.m. on Circle Drive and is an enjoyable event for families, students, and alumni alike. Look for the Student Government Association’s (SGA) floats. According to Taylor, who is also a member of the SGA, they are expected to have five floats in the parade: one for each class, as well as a float dedicated to their executive board. 

MC has multiple sporting events taking place on Saturday. The football team plays at 2 p.m. at Honaker Field against LaGrange. If football isn’t your forte then consider cheering on the volleyball team at 12 p.m. and 4 p.m., the women’s soccer team at 2 p.m., or the men’s soccer team at 4 p.m.

At the conclusion of homecoming week on Saturday night, students can look forward to a homecoming dance thrown by SPB. More information regarding COVID-19 protocol and guest capacity will be published on SPB’s Instagram page, so follow @mcspb for updates and details as they come out. Regardless of logistical facets, MC students are invited to the Little River Barn from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. to close out an eventful homecoming weekend with dancing, socializing, and some MC traditions. 

For more information on Alumni-specific events and other festivities happening during Homecoming 2021, visit maryvillecollege.edu and search for “homecoming 2021” to access the full event calendar.