Once Upon a Homecoming, will showcase the magic of Racer pride. Festivities will commence Oct. 26–28.
Murray State University is preparing for another Homecoming experience. This year’s Homecoming theme, Once Upon a Homecoming, will showcase the magic of Racer pride. Festivities will commence Oct. 26–28.
The campus community will come alive with a series of events throughout the weekend. Campus Activities Board (CAB) Homecoming Chair Matthew Turley said he has always loved Homecoming season at Murray State as CAB is hard at work to make each year different than the last.
“Being in this role for the past two years has given me a true appreciation for how much planning and preparation goes into this cherished Murray State tradition,” Turley said. “It has allowed me to gain an extensive knowledge of who our student organizations are on campus and has allowed me to work with students and alumni I may not have had a chance to get to know otherwise.”
Members of the Murray State University Alumni Association (MSUAA) and the MSUAA Board of Governors will welcome many alumni home as they reunite and reconnect with former classmates. Carrie McGinnis, director of alumni relations, said Homecoming is much more than just a weekend full of friendship, fun and football.
“It is truly a family reunion,” McGinnis said. “Homecoming is not only a time for our Racer alumni to reconnect with each other, but a wonderful opportunity to reunite with faculty members, reminisce about the best times of their lives and interact with current Racers who give them a glimpse into the future.”
She also said that this year’s theme serves a dual purpose: “Once Upon a Homecoming intertwines the theme that dreams and fairy-tale life stories really can get their start at Murray State,” McGinnis said. “It is a special time on campus when past, present and future come together in a wonderful Racer celebration.”
The annual Taste of the Arts dinner and auction will kick off the weekend’s activities at 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26, in the Murray Room of the CFSB Center. Then, on Friday, Oct. 27, Homecoming visitors can experience a vision of the future and revisit a glimpse of the past with a dedication of Murray State’s new Engineering and Physics Building at 3 p.m., followed by an open house in the historic Pogue Library beginning at 3:30 p.m.
Saturday morning, the annual Homecoming Parade will start at 9:30 a.m., highlighting student organizations from every area of the University while winding along Main Street and ending on Murray State’s campus. Coverage of the parade will be streamed live for those who cannot attend at murraystate.edu/streaming. Tent City will follow, from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., on the east side of the track inside the walls of Roy Stewart Stadium. A beloved Homecoming tradition since 1989, Tent City provides the University’s Greek organizations, student clubs, academic departments and residential colleges the opportunity to welcome home Murray State alumni and give the public a snapshot of all they have to offer.
The yearly tradition of crowning the Homecoming King and Queen will take place at 2:45 p.m. on the football field, followed by the culmination of the weekend’s festivities: the Homecoming football game against Eastern Kentucky University at 3 p.m.
This year’s Homecoming weekend also features several milestone reunions, including Tri Sigma’s 75th anniversary, Kappa Alpha Psi’s 45th anniversary, the 90th anniversary of the Murray State News and the annual Golden Reunion, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the graduating class of 1967. Other reunions will include the 2002 Ohio Valley Conference Champion Racer football team and the Racer baseball alumni batting practice and scrimmage. Additionally, University colleges, departments and programs will be hosting activities for alumni, including the Hutson School of Agriculture, the College of Education and Human Services and the School of Nursing. Murray State University African American alumni have also planned a full slate of events, including a meet-and-greet, welcome dinner and Old School Jam.
Other weekend events include the Wellness Center Homecoming Run, Alpha Phi Alpha’s Miss Black and Gold Scholarship Pageant, Murray State Jazz Orchestra’s Swingin’ Memories Dance, MClub Breakfast and the National Pan-Hellenic Council Homecoming Step Show.
A detailed schedule of all events and other important information regarding Murray State’s Homecoming activities can be found at murraystate.edu/homecoming. For further questions, please contact the Murray State University Office of Alumni
Relations by calling 800-758-8510.