University to celebrate homecoming with ‘The Good Life’

Craig Chandler | University Communication

Stroll Off champions from Zeta Phi Beta sorority perform in front of the judges tables during the homecoming parade in October 2019. The parade and Cornstock Festival return Oct. 1.

This year’s University of Nebraska–Lincoln homecoming week runs Sept. 26 to Oct. 2 and will carry the theme “The Good Life.”

The week’s activities open with Showtime at Vine Street Fields at 8 p.m. Sept. 27 on the fields near 17th and Vine streets. Participants will be able to show off their singing, dancing and acting abilities in this student competition. A mandatory dress rehearsal will be at 6 p.m. Sept. 26 at the fields.

A Homecoming Traditions Race for students will take place from 4 to 5 p.m. Sept. 28, beginning at the Nebraska East Union. The race will consist of clues leading to 10-15 traditions around campus, with the first three teams to find every tradition declared winners.

A cornhole tournament for students will be from 2 to 6 p.m. Sept. 29 at Memorial Stadium. Teams of two representing a single organization can sign up to compete against other pairs in the classic lawn game.

The Nebraska Alumni Association will host one-hour campus tours leaving from the Wick Alumni Center at 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Sept. 30 and Oct. 1. Pre-registration is required. Email wkempcke@huskeralum.org to make a reservation.

A Multicultural Homecoming Mixer, hosted by the Chancellor’s Commission on the Status of People of Color and Nebraska Alumni Association, will take place from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Sept. 30 at the Wick Alumni Center. Lawrence Chatters, senior associate athletic director for diversity, equity and inclusion, is the keynote speaker. Distinguished alumni Kevin Abourezk, Brad Brooks, Eulanda Sanders and Faiz Siddiqui will be honored. Register here.

A free concert featuring rapper Yung Gravy with special guest Evan Giia will be at 8 p.m. Sept. 30 on the East Campus Mall. The concert is open to current, fee-paying undergraduate and graduate students, as well as faculty and staff. The Event Pass app and a “building access granted” status on the Safer Community app are required to enter the fenced-in area near the stage. The concert is presented by the University Program Council and local radio station 106.3 KFRX. Shuttles to and from East Campus will be available.

On Oct. 1, student lawn displays will be completed by 10:30 a.m. and judged at noon.

Anna Heinrich, then a freshman, glues poms to a plywood display outside the Theta Xi house in October 2019. Students from Theta Xi, Alpha Phi, Kappa Alpha Theta and Phi Kappa Theta collaborated on the homecoming display.

The College of Business will host a grand opening for its Diversity and Inclusion Gathering Space (DIGS) from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Oct. 1 at Howard L. Hawks Hall. The program begins at 11:30, with the ribbon cutting at noon. Refreshments will be served. RSVP here.

A Jackie Gaughan Multicultural Center open house, hosted by the Office of Academic Success and Intercultural Services, will be at 2 p.m. Oct. 1.

The Jackie Gaughan Multicultural Hall of Fame ceremony, also hosted by OASIS, will take place at 5 p.m. Oct. 1 in the Nebraska Union’s Swanson Auditorium. Inducted into the Hall of Fame will be Cynthia K. Gooch-Grayson, Vernon J. Miller, Chau Nguyen, John Osiri, Marty Ramirez and Romulo “R.J.” Vega.

The Cornstock Festival, which is free and open to the public, is 5 to 8 p.m. Oct. 1 on the plaza immediately east of Memorial Stadium. The event will feature a performance by Husker student Noah Floersch, food available for purchase from Chick-fil-A and Mary Ellen’s, a Ferris wheel, balloon artist, inflatable games, and 1,200 ears of grilled corn to be given away for free.

The annual homecoming parade starts at 6 p.m. Oct. 1. The free public parade will start south of the Nebraska Union, moving east on R Street, north on 16th Street and west on Vine Street to the East Stadium plaza. In addition to floats built by registered student organizations and community groups, participants include the Cornhusker Marching Band, the Spirit Squad, 2021 homecoming royalty and student groups. The homecoming jester competition will follow the parade on the East Stadium plaza.

Blood drives will be held during the week from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 27 in the Nebraska East Union’s Great Plains Room and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sept. 28-30 in the Nebraska Union’s Centennial Room.

In addition, a canned food drive to benefit the Husker Pantry will occur during the week, with donations due between 2 and 4 p.m. Oct. 1 at the University Health Center, Room 123.

Elections of royalty will take place on students’ MyRED portal Sept. 29 and 30. Homecoming royalty will be crowned at halftime of the Nebraska-Northwestern football game on Oct. 2.