Homecoming-Reunion Week is Sept. 29-Oct. 5

Fun’s in store at St. Thomas’ annual Homecoming-Reunion celebration. Plan on a week’s worth:

Tuesday, Sept. 30
Royalty competition: Homecoming royalty nominees will run an obstacle course at 11 a.m. on Foley Plaza. Cheer on your favorite competitors!

Barbecue: Join STAR for a Homecoming Week Lunchtime barbecue at 11:45 on the lower quad. It’s free if you have a UST student meal plan or are among the first 100 non-meal plan eaters.

Scooter’s Afternoon Coffeehouse: Singer and songwriter Clayton Bellamy entertains at 11:45 a.m. in Scooter’s. He blends classic country and ’70s Southern rock. 

Wednesday, Oct. 1
Grand Slam USA: STAR hosts a student trip to Grand Slam USA, an indoor amusement park in Eagan, from 7 to 10 p.m. Play miniature golf, take some swings in the batting cages, ride the bumper cars and play in the video arcade. Who said college isn’t fun? Tickets, $5 each, include transportation and pizza and pop; they’re on sale now in the Box Office.

Concert: STAR presents a concert by Stephen Kellogg, Peter Stuart, Matt Nathanson and Andy Stochansky. The music starts at 7 p.m. in Brady Educational Center auditorium. It’s free with a UST ID or $6 without one.

Thursday, Oct. 2
Royalty competition continues with as the candidates try to out-cheer each other at 11 a.m. in Foley Plaza. Help ’em out!

Concert: Enjoy great bands Panoramic Blue, Flavor and Shadow Box beginning at 7 p.m. in Scooter’s. Admission is free with a UST ID or $6 without.

Friday, Oct. 3
Hear the Guv: The St. Thomas Alumni Association’s popular First Friday Luncheon Series features a talk by Minnesota’s Gov. Tim Pawlenty. The luncheon begins at noon at The Depot, 225 Third Ave. S., Minneapolis. Cost is $10 for students and $20 for others, and reservations are due Tuesday, Sept. 30. Make reservations online or call (651) 962-6430.

Festival fun: Join a celebration of Tommie spirit at the Homecoming Festival on the upper quadrangle from 4 to 8:30 p.m. Outdoor games, a barbecue from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., a pep rally at 6:45 and the coronation of the 2003 Homecoming king and queen round out the fun. (The barbecue is free with a UST student meal plan or to the first 100 non-meal plan holders who attend.)

Homecoming 5K run/walk: UST’s Wellness Center hosts this event for students, faculty, staff and alumni. Register at 5:15 p.m. and begin the race at 6 p.m. at the Summit Avenue arches. All pre-registered finishers will receive a T-shirt!

Saturday, Oct. 4
Sports Kickoff Breakfast: Join UST student-athletes, coaches and Athletic Director Steve Fritz for this annual “breakfast of champions” at 8:30 a.m. in the Student Dining Room, Murray-Herrick Campus Center. This year the theme is families with multiple generations of Tommie athletes. Cost is $5 per adult and $2.50 for kids 12 and under. To reserve your spot, call (651) 962-6430 and send a check payable to UST to the St. Thomas Alumni Association, Mail #LOR 508, 2115 Summit Ave., St. Paul, MN 55105.

Homecoming parade: UST students, faculty, staff, alumni, friends and neighbors are welcome to line Summit Avenue between Snelling and Cretin avenues for the annual Homecoming Parade. Parade time is 10:30 a.m.

Kids are invited to come to decorate their bikes, trikes or wagons and ride in the parade, too. Streamers and balloons will be provided. Kids and parents should arrive at the corner of Summit and Cleveland avenues at 10 a.m. The little ones will join the parade on Summit Avenue from Cleveland to Cretin avenues.

Taste of St. Thomas: Enjoy foods served by more than 30 student clubs and organizations at this annual food festival between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on the campus quadrangle. Children’s activities and live music rev up the crowd, too!

Homecoming football: The Tommies take on the Oles from St. Olaf College at 1 p.m. in O’Shaughnessy Stadium. Gates open at noon. Tickets are $5 for adults; $2 for students; free for children under 10 and for UST students, staff and faculty with IDs.

100 Years of Intercollegiate Athletics and All-Sports Reunion: St. Thomas will kick off the year’s celebration of 100 years of intercollegiate athletics with a program from 4 to 6 p.m. in Schoenecker Arena. Alumni athletes, coaches and friends are welcome. A display, video and program will review UST’s proud history of athletics. Cost is $5. For reservations, call (651) 962-6430. Meanwhile, visit a special Web site dedicated to the yearlong celebration.

Alumni Memorial Mass: Reunion classes are invited to worship together in memory of their deceased classmates. Mass begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Chapel of St. Thomas Aqunas.

Alumni get-togethers: Members of the classes of 1978, 1963, 1983 and 1993 will be celebrating their reunions at receptions beginning at 6:30 p.m.
in Murray-Herrick Campus Center. Welcome them warmly!

Homecoming dance: UST’s annual student Homecoming dance returns to campus this year. This year, the dance is from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. in Coughlan Field House. There’s a tropical theme, and tickets are on sale all week in the Box Office. UST student tickets are $5 each. Each UST student may purchase one non-UST student ticket for $10. If you’re 21 or older, you may purchase alcoholic drinks, but you have to have two valid forms of ID; one must be a valid driver’s license.

Faculty and staff hosts still are needed for the dance! If you can help – even for a few hours — please send an e-mail to star@stthomas.edu .

Midnight breakfast: The All College Council will host a post-dance French toast breakfast from midnight to 2:30 a.m. in the Student Dining Room, Murray-Herrick Campus Center. It’s free. Everyone’s welcome.

Sunday, Oct. 5
Homecoming-Reunion Mass: The university community, friends and neighbors gather for Sunday worship. Mass begins at 11 a.m. in the Chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas.

Jazz: Jazz pianist Eugene Maslov gives a free concert at 6:30 p.m. in Brady Educational Center auditorium. General admission is $5; with a UST ID, it’s free.

For further information about the Homecoming-Reunion celebration, please call the St. Thomas Alumni Association, (651) 962-6430, or STAR, (651) 962-6136.