Happy Summer to our Happy Valley Alums! The stage is now set, and Homecoming is in full force. If you haven’t heard yet, the theme of Homecoming this year, “Embrace The Journey Roar With Pride”, was revealed at THON and the logo was revealed at the Blue & White Game.
Following the logo reveal, Homecoming hosted the annual Legacy Celebration, where Penn State Football Alumnus and founder of Uplifting Athletes, Scott Shirley, was announced as Honorary Grand Marshall for this years’ parade. As Honorary Grand Marshall, he will work with the Grand Marshall to lead the Homecoming Parade, attend homecoming events and have the opportunity to meet members of Penn State, past, present and future. Penn State Homecoming is excited to reveal the Grand Marshall, an esteemed member of the Penn State community, who has been chosen and will be revealed in the Fall.
As many of you know, there’s more to Homecoming than the parade. As many of you know, there’s more to Homecoming than the parade. There are many events you have to look forward to leading up to that weekend. Right now, Homecoming is looking for alumni representatives from any campus for the Alumni Court, who will attend a court reception and have a feature in the parade, where they will be recognized for their accolades and accomplishments.
This year’s Homecoming 5k participants will enter into the “Embrace the Music, Run with Pride 5k presented by Penn State Homecoming”. It is a music-driven run that will feature different community bands playing along the route leading up to a party at the end.
The Ice Cream Social will be held all day on Friday, November 10 preceding the parade. Members of the community will gather at the Hintz Family Alumni Center for games, prizes and, of course, free Penn State Berkey Creamery ice cream and a topping bar. This will be a chance for the community to interact with alumni leading up to parade.
If you think your tailgate during homecoming weekend is going to be the best of the best, the Tailgate Competition is open and ready to register. On Saturday, November 11, during the hours leading up to the game against Rutgers, members of Penn State Homecoming will assess each participant’s tailgate for the different categories: Best Food, Most Creative, Most Spirited and Best Overall. The winner is revealed prior to the game and will receive prizes, banners and bragging rights.
This year Penn State Homecoming is partnered with Military Appreciation Week to welcome home penn state alumni as well as military personnel. At halftime, there will be presentations from both of us. Following the presentations, the Homecoming Executive Committee will be introduced, the courts will be presented and a new Homecoming King and Queen will be crowned.
You can nominate and register for all events mentioned on the Penn State Homecoming website, homecoming.psu.edu. We hope that you are as excited for these upcoming events as We Are. Enjoy the rest of your summer, mark your calendars and start packing to come home to Happy Valley.