Northwest will host its annual Homecoming festivities Oct. 7-15, highlighted by the parade and football game on Oct. 13. (Northwest Missouri State University photos)

Sept. 18, 2018

Homecoming to be ‘Greatest Show at Northwest’ Oct. 7-15

The annual Homecoming parade begins at 9 a.m. Oct. 13 at the corner of Ray and College Avenue and moves east on Fourth Street.

Community members will get their first look at the Carl and Cheryl Hughes Fieldhouse during a dedication ceremony Oct. 12 and an open house on Oct. 13.

The Bearcats will meet the University of Nebraska-Kearney for its Homecoming football game.

Students annually compete in the Canned Art Contest in the Student Union to build unique displays out of cans that are donated to the Maryville Ministry Center at the end of the Homecoming week.

The Homecoming Variety Show is a two-night event that features skits, dance and musical performances.

The International Flag-Raising Ceremony celebrates Northwest's international students who raise the flags of their countries during the ceremony.

Northwest Missouri State University will celebrate “The Greatest Show at Northwest” during its 2018 Homecoming week. 

The week begins Sunday, Oct. 7, with the hanging of the banners at the J.W. Jones Student Union, and the festivities conclude Monday, Oct. 15, with the presentation of awards in the Charles Johnson Theater. Highlights include the Homecoming parade and football game, the Variety Show and the International Flag Raising Ceremony as well as the grand opening of the Carl and Cheryl Hughes Fieldhouse.

Details about all Homecoming activities, including participant entry forms, are available at www.nwmissouri.edu/getinvolved/homecoming, or by contacting 660.562.1226 or homecmg@nwmissouri.edu. All entry forms are due at 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 28.

Northwest’s 2018 Homecoming Executive Board consists of Emily Elliott, a junior communication major from Kansas City, Missouri, as royalty and Variety Show co-chair; Alek Lanter, a senior recreation major from Parkville, Missouri, as parade and sponsorship co-chair; Joe Suchan, a senior interactive digital media major from Maryville, as banner, canned art and philanthropy co-chair; and Veronica Maere, a senior communication major from Panora, Iowa, as secretary.

Grand opening of the Hughes Fieldhouse

Northwest welcomes the community to celebrate the opening of the Carl and Cheryl Hughes Fieldhouse during a dedication ceremony at 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 12, and open house from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 13, that will include tours of the facility, inflatables, music and opportunities for children to interact with Bearcat student-athletes. The events are free and open to the public.

As the single largest public-private partnership in Northwest’s 113‐year history and one of the largest such projects in the region ever, the Hughes Fieldhouse has benefitted from donors committing $13.5 million to the project. Leading support for the project was provided by the Founding 50 – a group of donors contributing $50,000 or more to the project – with the Carl and Cheryl Hughes Family Foundation, the Mel and Valorie Booth Family, the city of Maryville and Nodaway Valley Bank working as “team captains” of the group. The University and students also are contributing to the project, while hundreds of alumni and friends have made gifts of all sizes.

The 137,250 square-foot, $20 million Hughes Fieldhouse is designed to serve a multitude of social, recreational and economic needs for the University and region. For more information about the Hughes Fieldhouse, visit www.nwmissouri.edu/HughesFieldhouse/.

Homecoming parade

The annual Homecoming parade begins at 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 13, at the corner of Ray and College Avenue. The parade moves east on Fourth Street and concludes at the corner of Fourth and Main streets. It features more than 100 entries, including bands and floats sponsored by campus and community organizations, local schools and businesses.

Northwest alumni are invited to the Homecoming Welcome prior to the parade at 8 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 13, at the Michael L. Faust Center for Alumni & Friends.

Alumni Events

The annual Homecoming Golf Classic is taking place at noon Friday, Oct. 12, at the Mozingo Lake Golf Course. The cost is $50 per person. Check-in begins at 11 a.m. with tee times beginning at 11:30 a.m.

The Northwest Alumni Association also will host its annual Golden Years Society Reunion to welcome all Northwest classmates from 1968. The weekend includes a campus tour, a Golden Years social and a luncheon.

Additionally, international alumni are invited to attend a reception from 5 to 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 12, at the B.D. Owens Library, and black alumni reunion activities are planned throughout the Homecoming weekend.

For more information, visit www.nwmissouri.edu/alumni/events, or contact the Office of Alumni Relations at 660.562.1248 or at alumni@nwmissouri.edu.

Athletics Events

The annual M-Club Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 12, in the J.W. Jones Student Union Ballroom. Tickets are $25 and may be purchased by calling 660.562.1977. The Class of 2018 consists of Scott Kurtz (baseball), Gabby Curtis (women's basketball), Andy Erpelding (football), Mel Tjeerdsma (football coach/athletic director), the 2009-10 men's tennis team and the 2010-11 women's basketball squad.

The Bearcat football team takes on the University of Nebraska-Kearney in the annual Homecoming football game, beginning at 2 p.m. at Bearcat Stadium. Ticket information is available by clicking here.

All fans are invited to the Bearcat Zone, opening at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at the Raymond J. Courter College Park Pavilion, to enjoy tailgate activities before the football game. A meal is $10 for adults and $5 for children 7 and under.

Other Activities and Entertainment

Other activities throughout Homecoming week include the annual canned art contest, a photo contest, a comedian, a blood drive and the Homecoming Variety Show.

Student organizations will compete in the 12th Annual Canned Art Contest Monday, Oct. 8, in the Student Union. The displays will remain in the Student Union until Friday, Oct. 12, and cans used during the contest are donated to the Maryville Ministry Center. Individuals also may vote for the People’s Choice Award by leaving canned goods at their favorite canned art display; those cans will be donated to Northwest’s Pay it Forward Food Pantry.

University offices are invited to participate in an Office and Department Photo Contest. Each department has the opportunity to submit a photo displaying their Homecoming spirit. Entries are posted on social media, and the photo that receives the most “likes” will win a $100 prize. Submissions are due Wednesday, Oct. 3, and voting is noon to 5 p.m. Monday, Oct. 8. To participate, contact homecmg@nwmissouri.edu or click here to register.

The Homecoming Committee and Student Senate are collaborating to host Northwest’s annual fall blood drive, Oct. 9-11 in the Student Union Ballroom. The Northwest community is invited to give blood or a monetary donation to a local philanthropy. Additionally, student organizations will compete to raise units of blood and money as part of the overall Homecoming competition.

The Student Activities Council will host a free performance by comedian Jessi Campbell at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 10, at the Ron Houston Center for the Performing Arts, with the first 500 attendees receiving a Northwest T-shirt. Campbell has been seen on NBC’s “Last Comic Standing” and was named 2015 Female Performer of the Year by Campus Activities magazine, an award she also was nominated for in 2013. For more information about Campbell, visit https://jessicampbell.com/.

The Homecoming Variety Show is a two-night event at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 11, and Friday, Oct. 12, in the Ron Houston Center. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased by clicking here or calling 660.562.1212.

The Homecoming King and Queen will be announced at the conclusion of the Thursday Variety Show. Students may vote for royalty through CatPAWS Monday, Oct. 1, through Friday, Oct. 5.

Walkout Day, the Northwest tradition of canceling all classes during the Friday of Homecoming week, is Friday, Oct. 12. Walkout Day activities include the International Flag-Raising Ceremony at 2 p.m. at the Joyce and Harvey White International Plaza.

Northwest's Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion will host a prayer breakfast from 8 to 9:30 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 14, at the Equity and Accessibility Center in North Complex. In addition to a free continental breakfast, the program will feature the Northwest gospel choir and University Police Chief Dr. Clarence Green as a keynote speaker.

Smoking and Alcohol Policies

To provide an environment that is safe and healthy for all students, employees and visitors to Northwest, are reminded that smoking is prohibited in all areas of the Northwest campus. Smoking is defined as the use of cigarettes, cigars, pipes and all other forms of smoke-generating products.

Alcohol is not permitted on University property except during home football games in designated tailgating areas at College Park. For more information about Northwest’s tailgating policy, click here.