University to celebrate homecoming with ‘Through These Gates’

Craig Chandler | University Communication and Marketing

The Musical Chairs ride and Ferris wheel light up the East Stadium Plaza during the 2022 Cornstock Festival. The 2023 festival is 4 to 8 p.m. Oct. 27, again on the plaza. The event is free and open to the public.

This year’s University of Nebraska–Lincoln homecoming week runs Oct. 23-28 and will carry the theme “Through These Gates: 100 Years of Saturdays at Memorial Stadium.”

The week’s activities open with a Memorial Stadium birthday party from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 23 at the stadium. The free public event will feature a cake and birthday wishes from campus leaders, and visitors can walk onto the field.

Showtime at the Coliseum is 7 p.m. Oct. 23 at the Coliseum, 1350 Vine St. Recognized student organizations will compete for bragging rights with skits and dances. Food Truck Frenzy — featuring free treats from local food trucks and ice cream from the Dairy Store — will follow the event on the East Stadium Loop. Both events are for students.

“Glow Up to Power Up” sessions, intended for students, are Oct. 24 and 25 on campus, with a networking event Oct. 24. They are hosted by the Nebraska Women’s Leadership Network. For more information and to register, click here.

A Traditions Race for students will take place at 4 p.m. Oct. 24, beginning at the Nebraska East Union. The race will consist of clues leading to various traditions around campus, with the first three teams to find every tradition declared winners.

Husker students compete in the homecoming cornhole tournament at Memorial Stadium in September 2021. This year’s cornhole tournament begins at 5 p.m. Oct. 25 at the stadium.

A cornhole tournament for students will begin at 5 p.m. Oct. 25 at Memorial Stadium. Teams of two can sign up to compete in the classic lawn game.

A Multicultural Homecoming Reception — hosted by the Chancellor’s Commission on the Status of People of Color and the Office of Academic Success and Intercultural Services — will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. Oct. 26 at the Wick Alumni Center. The following distinguished alumni will be honored: DeMoine Adams, Aakriti Agrawal, Riko Bishop, Cesar Garcia, Ivan Gilreath, Josiah Hood, Karen Kassebaum, Cyndi Munson and Adrian Whitsett. The 2023 Jackie Gaughan Multicultural Center Hall of Fame award recipients are Marianna Burks, Kwame Dawes, Whittney LeBruce, Ed Muñoz, Khoi Tran and Anitra Warrior. For more information and to register, click here.

On Oct. 27, student lawn displays will be completed by 10:30 a.m. and judged at noon.

The Cornstock Festival, which is free and open to the public, is 4 to 8 p.m. Oct. 27 on the plaza immediately east of Memorial Stadium. The event will feature a performance by indie pop band Parking Lot Party; food available for purchase from Farmer’s Market Kettle Corn, Harper’s Smokehouse, Kona Ice, The Parthenon, Taco Loco Lincoln Dig-N and Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee; carnival rides and games; face painters; balloon artists; a photo booth; and grilled corn and kettle corn to be given away for free.

The annual homecoming parade starts at 6 p.m. Oct. 27. The free public parade will start south of the Nebraska Union, moving east on R Street, north on 16th Street, west on Vine Street, south on 14th Street and clockwise on the East Stadium Loop, ending south of the Coliseum. In addition to floats built by recognized student organizations and community groups, participants include the Cornhusker Marching Band, the Spirit Squad, 2023 homecoming royalty and student groups. The homecoming jester competition will follow the parade on the East Stadium Plaza.

International students carry the flags of their native countries during the 2022 homecoming parade. The 2023 parade starts at 6 p.m. Oct. 27.

An Alumni of Color Network Cocktail Mixer will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. Oct. 27 at Agave Mexican Grill, 1631 P St. Alumni, faculty, staff and members of the Husker community who are 21 or older are welcome to attend this free event and will receive a complimentary margarita. Non-alcoholic beverages and appetizers will also be served. The event is co-sponsored by the Nebraska Alumni Association and the Alumni of Color Network. For more information and to register, click here.

A blood drive will be held during the week from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 23 in the Nebraska East Union’s Great Plains Room, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 24 and 25 in the Nebraska Union’s Centennial Room and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 26 in blood mobiles on the Nebraska Union’s Memorial Plaza.

In addition, a canned food drive to benefit the Husker Pantry is 1 to 4 p.m. Oct. 23. Food and other essential items can be taken to the University Health Center’s north entrance, near the pantry. Donations can also be made via the pantry’s Amazon wishlist here.

New this year, Husker faculty and staff are invited to participate in the HealthierU Homecoming Step Challenge, with the goal of reaching 100,000 steps between Oct. 21 and 28. All participants will receive a prize. Those who complete the challenge by 11:59 p.m. Oct. 28 will have their name entered into a grand prize drawing. For more information and to register, click here.

Elections of royalty will take place on students’ MyRED portal Oct. 25 and 26. Homecoming royalty will be crowned at halftime of the Nebraska-Purdue football game on Oct. 28.