WMU HOME > ABOUT WMU > WMU NEWS Homecoming week looks like another winner Oct. 9, 2004 KALAMAZOO--Although this year's Olympic Games have come and gone, Western Michigan University will pull out all the stops and "Go for the Gold!" during its 2004 celebration of Homecoming week Sunday, Oct. 10, through Sunday, Oct. 17. Among the many activities open to the public will be the Homecoming PepFest, Campus Classic run/walk, wild and wacky Friday Festival, and annual March Down step show. The weeklong festivities center around the Homecoming football game at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 16, which pits the WMU Broncos against the Eastern Michigan University Eagles. Alumni and friends of all ages are invited to fire up for the gridiron contest by attending the WMU Alumni Association's fifth annual Homecoming PepFest from 10 a.m. to noon in the tent village next to Waldo Stadium. PepFest is a great place to gather before the game. Buster Bronco, the WMU Cheer Team and the band Los Bandits will be on hand, and food will be available for a moderate fee. Entry badges are required to attend the PepFest, although admission is free and buying a meal ticket is optional. Those planning to attend may obtain badges in advance by calling (269) 387-8777 or registering online by logging on to <www.wmich.edu/alumni>, the alumni association Web site, and visiting the "Events" section's PepFest page. Other Bronco fans will display their brown and gold spirit by gathering in the corporate area of the tent village. Businesses or organizations that want to sponsor a tailgate party in the corporate area should call Irene Bracken in the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics at (269) 387-3062. Tents as well as game tickets are still available. Saturday's activities will lead off with the sixth Homecoming Campus Classic race/walk, which features a 1K course and a certified 5K course, both of which begin at the Bernhard Center and showcase the WMU campus. There will be on-site registration from 7 to 8:30 a.m. in Rooms 105-07 of the Bernhard Center. The 1K kid's fun run and fun walk will start at 8:15 a.m. and be followed by the awarding of medals and the kid's raffle. The 5K run and fun walk will start at 9 a.m. and be followed by an awards ceremony and refreshments for event participants, guests and volunteers. Numerous activities will be taking place after the football game, including: A special Homecoming "Good Morning Kalamazoo!" program that will provide tours of the Parkview Campus' new College of Engineering and Applied Sciences building at 9 and 10 a.m.; A reception and dinner for the Class of 1953's 50th Anniversary Reunion 30 minutes after the game in Room 208 of the Bernhard Center; A free open house for WMU's new Multicultural Center from 4 to 5:45 p.m. in the Adrian Trimpe Building, located off of Rankin Drive near the Faunce Student Services Building; The free National Pan-Hellenic Council March Down at 6 p.m. in Miller Auditorium; The annual Onyx Society dance at 9 p.m. in the Bernhard Center's East Ballroom; and The student Homecoming dance at 10 p.m. in the Student Recreation Center. WMU students will help the University celebrate Homecoming on Friday, Oct. 15, by participating in a variety of zany contests during the traditional Friday Festival. The free festival will feature the soap box derby at noon in front of the Sindecuse Health Center and then move to Goldsworth Valley for the Fritter Fest at 2 p.m. and Western Olympics at 3:30 p.m. The WMU Alumni Association will also kickoff its major activities on Friday by sponsoring a dinner in honor of this year's winners of the association's Distinguished Alumni Award. The gathering will start at 6:30 p.m. in the West Ballroom of the Bernhard Center and pay tribute to Dr. Robert Bruininks, president of the University of Minnesota; Richard G. Haworth, chairman of the board of Haworth Inc in Holland, Mich.; and Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, a veteran member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Detroit. Some of the additional activities scheduled during Homecoming week are: Free performances on Sunday, Oct. 10, by the University Symphony Orchestra at 3 p.m. in Miller Auditorium and by Gold Company, WMU's internationally acclaimed vocal jazz ensemble, at 6:30 p.m. in the Bernhard Center's Bronco Mall; Athletic contests throughout the week in men's and women's soccer, volleyball and hockey, with free admission to soccer games; University Theatre productions of "Metamorphoses" at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 10, and 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Oct. 14 through 16; A presentation by Indian percussionist Chitraveena Ravikiran at 8:15 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 13, in the Dalton Center Recital Hall; and Free performances on Sunday, Oct. 17, by the University Symphonic Band at 3 p.m. in Miller Auditorium and by the University Chorale, Women's Chorus and Collegiate Singers at 1 and 5 p.m. in the Dalton Center Recital Hall during the Homecoming Choral Showcase. More information about the activities taking place at WMU during Homecoming week is available by visiting the Homecoming Web site, <www.wmich.edu/homecoming>, and the "Events" page of WMU News, <www.wmich.edu/wmu/news/events>. Media contact: Jeanne Baron, 269 387-8400, jeanne.baron@wmich.edu WMU News Office of University Relations Western Michigan University 1903 W Michigan Ave Kalamazoo MI 49008-5433 USA 269 387-8400 www.wmich.edu/wmu/news