College Homecoming kicks off this week

Many events are planned for Homecoming 2019 at Southwest Minnesota State University, which will be held on the week of Oct. 7-13, with a theme of “Mustangs Unite.”

Many student-centered events are held during the week, including the Chartwells Stampede Feed on Oct. 7; Candidate’s Night, featuring hypnotist Freddie Justice, on Oct. 8; Mustangs Got Talent on Oct. 9; and Coronation and Take 2 Improv on Oct. 10.

The SMSU Planetarium will host two shows, a Laser Light Show on Oct. 11, and a Planetarium Star Show, “The Eagle Has Landed — A Trip to the Moon” — on Oct. 12. The University Gala will take place on Oct. 11. This annual fundraiser has raised over $900,000 to date, and supports scholarships and programs at SMSU.

It has funded 1,450 student scholarships over the years. There will be several athletic events on Homecoming Day in Marshall on Oct. 12. The SMSU women’s swimming and diving team will take on Iowa Lakes Community College at 1 p.m., the first competition for the team since it was announced as a new Mustang sport a year ago.

The football Homecoming game begins at 3 p.m. against Bemidji State. The Lions Club Pancake Feed will kick off Homecoming Day at 7 a.m. at the Fire Hall.

The Veterans Club will host the Legacy Homecoming 5K/10K Run at 8 a.m. with registration at 7:30 a.m. The annual Homecoming parade will run its usual route down Main Street starting at 11 a.m. Dueling Pianos will be held at 9 p.m. on Oct. 12 at Bello Cucina following the football game.

A Mustang Pub Crawl will be held downtown that evening, starting at 6 p.m. An Alumni Brunch will be held Sunday, Oct. 13 at the Campus Restaurant.