Heather Wolf
coordinator of Student Activities, Nebraskan Student Union, 308.865.839
“There’s No Place Like Home” is the theme for the 2012 University of Nebraska at Kearney Homecoming Week, Family Day and Band Day events, which are set for Sept. 17-22.
The homecoming theme was chosen by the Loper Programming and Activities Council (LPAC). The homecoming chair for LPAC is Ariane Aten of Kearney. Also serving with her is LPAC President Pierrie Jefferson of Lincoln.
“This year, they wanted to go with a movie theme and loved the tagline ‘There’s No Place Like Home,’” said Heather Wolf, assistant director for Student Activities. “The team thought that was reminiscent of their feelings about UNK – It truly is a one-of-a-kind place.”
There will be several changes to the Homecoming Week events, including a new parade route due to the Second Avenue construction project.
“In past years, we have crossed at Second Avenue,” Wolf said. “However, because Second Avenue is a major street that is under construction, we are unable to close another street, 25th Street, for the parade. With those two options gone, we knew that we were going to need to stay south of 25th Street and not cross Second Avenue.”
The Homecoming Parade will go south from the Museum of Nebraska Art (MONA), and end at the West Pharmaceutical Co. parking lot at 923 W Railroad. For a complete map of the parade route, visit: http://www.unk.edu/homecoming.
There will be events every day of Homecoming Week, including a campus-wide Blue-Out on Monday, Sept. 17.
A new event to kick-off the week will be a homecoming concert featuring Season 8 American Idol top 24 contestant Jackie Tohn at 7 p.m. on the Campus Green. There is no admission charge.
“A couple LPAC students were able to attend a campus programming conference last year and watched Jackie Tohn perform, and loved her,” Wolf said. “She mixes comedy with her acoustic performance and is awesome.”
Wolf also said that another new event this year will be the Adventure Race in which each sweepstakes team will compete in a series of mental and physical challenges. The event will begin on Friday, Sept. 21, at 7 p.m. at the Bell Tower.
The Canned Food Build and Battle of the Brains will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 18, at 7 p.m. on the Campus Green. There, students will compete to create the best sculpture and test their wits for their respective teams.
The Spirit competition is set for Wednesday, Sept. 19, at 5 p.m. in the Health and Sports Center. The winners of the Spirit competition will perform between the second and third sets of the homecoming volleyball game against Hastings College at 7 p.m.
The Lip Sync Competition and Homecoming Royalty Crowning will occur on Thursday, Sept. 20, in the Health and Sports Center at 7 p.m.
“This year for Lip Sync LPAC has invited special guest performer saxophonist Matt Corey to appear. He mixes jazz, hip hop, and R&B music and belts it out on his saxophone,” Wolf said. Corey who mixes covers of artists such as Rihanna and Usher, performed at UNK last April.
On Saturday, Sept. 22, the Homecoming Parade, Band Day and Family Day will take place. The parade will begin at 10 a.m. at MONA on Central Avenue then progress south on Central Avenue to the West Co. parking lot at 923 W Railroad.
“We will be featuring more than 20 bands and hundreds of UNK, business and community entries,” Wolf said. ”After the parade, at noon we will be inviting families back to campus for a family barbecue on Foster Field.”
Area bands taking part in Band Day may then take part in the Bearcat Marching Festival which will begin at 1 p.m. at Kearney High School.
The homecoming football game against the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats will begin at 4 p.m. at Foster Field.
Half-time will include the presentation of UNK homecoming royalty, recognition of new inductees into the UNK Athletic Hall of Fame and the Band Day parade awards as well as the announcement of homecoming sweepstakes winners. The UNK Sapphire Dance team and UNK Pride of the Plains marching band will also perform.
