WMU News

WMU puts on 'great show' Homecoming week

Oct. 12, 1999

KALAMAZOO -- Western Michigan University students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends will be treated to a spirited series of Homecoming events Saturday, Oct. 16, through Saturday, Oct. 23.

With "The Greatest Show of the Century" as this year's theme, the 1999 Homecoming week celebration promises to offer a little something for everyone. Among the many events open to the public are musical shows, athletic contests, traditional student-oriented Homecoming activities, a community service campaign, a carnival, and the WMU Alumni Association's annual Homecoming Brunch and Distinguished Alumni Awards Dinner.

Two free musical presentations kick off Homecoming week. Sunday, Oct. 17, WMU's award-winning vocal jazz ensemble, Gold Company, will perform at 6:30 p.m. in the Bernhard Center's Bronco Mall. The following day, recording artist Kathy Myers will headline the annual Homecoming Gospel Concert at 7 p.m. in the Dalton Center Recital Hall. A Battle Creek native, Myers has three CD's to her credit and serves as musical director at Full Gospel A.M.E. Zion Church in Temple Hills, Md.

Events for Homecoming weekend start on Spirit Day, Friday, Oct. 22. With no classes scheduled, students will be able to devote their energies to making the day productive as well as fun.

From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., students and area residents will team up to work on community service projects in the greater Kalamazoo area as part of the Into the Streets program. This year, the national community service campaign, sponsored locally by WMU, is being held in conjunction with Homecoming and has been expanded to include WMU faculty, staff, alumni and friends as way of demonstrating greater Kalamazoo's volunteer spirit.

Other activities taking place on Friday include Buster's Big Top Carnival and popular Friday Festival student events such as the Western Olympics and soap box derbies.

The carnival, named in honor of WMU's mascot, Buster Bronco, is open to nonstudents for a nominal fee, and will take place from noon to 5 p.m. in the Student Recreation Center. It will include games, novelties, food and prizes.

The public also is invited on campus to view students as they compete against each other in the University's zany Western Olympics from 2:30 to 4 p.m. near Goldsworth Valley Pond and soap box derbies sponsored by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers at noon near the Sindecuse Health Center and by Greek organizations at 3 p.m. in front of the Bernhard Center.

A full slate of Homecoming events is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 23, beginning at 9 a.m. with the first Homecoming Campus Classic run/walk. The event features a 5K run, 1K fun walk and a 1K kid's fun run on courses that showcase the WMU campus. Spectators will be treated to refreshments and all participants will receive prizes and a complementary invitation to a tailgate/awards ceremony at 11 a.m. at Hyames Field.

Late registration for the Campus Classic will take place from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 21 and 22 in Walwood Hall's west lobby and from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. Oct. 23 in the Bernhard Center. For more information or to register, call (616) 387-8400, email <univ-rel@wmich.edu> or visit <www.wmich.edu/race> on the Web.

Also on Saturday, the annual Alumni Association Brunch will get under way at 10 a.m. in the East Ballroom of the Bernhard Center. WMU President Elson S. Floyd will be on hand to welcome guests and rally fans for the 1 p.m. football game in Waldo Stadium, where the WMU Broncos will take on the Ball State University Cardinals.

Saturday evening, two graduates will be recognized for their professional accomplishments during the annual Distinguished Alumni Awards Dinner at 6:15 p.m. in the West Ballroom of the Bernhard Center. This year's award winners are Brian E. Barents, president and chief executive officer of Galaxy Aerospace Corp. in Forth Worth, Texas, and Dr. Barbara A. Mieras, president of the Michigan-based Davenport College.

For more information about WMU's 1999 Homecoming activities, contact the Alumni Association by calling (616) 387-8777 or Student Activities and Leadership Programs by calling (616) 387-2115.

For up-to-date event information visit the WMU Alumni Association Homecoming pages. You can link to those pages from the Events page of WMU News

Media contact: Jeanne Baron, 616 387-8400, jeanne.baron@wmich.edu


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