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The Homecoming parade on Fourth Street features the Bearcat Marching Band. (Northwest Missouri State University photo)
Northwest Missouri State University’s annual Homecoming celebration returns as “A Century of Homecomings,” with activities and events planned Oct. 13-19 for students, employees, alumni and friends of the University.
The celebration begins Sunday, Oct. 13, with the hanging of the banners at the J.W. Jones Student Union and concludes Saturday, Oct. 19, with the Homecoming football game. Highlights include the Homecoming parade, Bell of ’48 ringing, Variety Show, International Flag-Raising Ceremony and the 50th-year reunion for the Class of 1974.
Details about all Homecoming activities, including participant entry forms, are available at www.nwmissouri.edu/getinvolved/homecoming, or by contacting 660.562.1226 or hocoparade@nwmissouri.edu. All entry forms are due by 8 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 12, and entry fees are due at 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 19.
Northwest’s 2024 Homecoming Executive Board consists of Sarah Linder, a junior social media management major from Des Moines, Iowa; Nikki Stueve, a senior managerial accounting major from Hiawatha, Kansas; Riley Steele, a junior psychology major from Kansas City, Missouri; and Mikoya Tisdel a senior early childhood education major from Kansas City, Missouri.
The Homecoming parade, pictured in 2015, features more than 100 entries, including marching bands and floats sponsored by campus and community organizations and businesses. (Northwest Missouri State University photo)
The annual Homecoming parade begins at 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 19, at the corner of Ray and College Avenue. It will proceed east on Fourth Street and end at Main Street. It traditionally features more than 100 entries, including marching bands and floats sponsored by campus and community organizations and businesses.
Additionally, Northwest alumni are invited to the Homecoming Welcome prior to the parade at 8 a.m. at the Michael L. Faust Center for Alumni and Friends. Classes of 1974, 1979, 1984, 1989, 1994, 1999, 2004, 2009, 2014 and 2019 are encouraged to visit the Faust Center or the Bearcat Zone tailgate in College Park to pick up their commemorative Homecoming button and reunion year ribbon.
Bearcat fans tailgate on the Northwest campus before last year's Homecoming football game. (Northwest Missouri State University photo)
The annual M-Club Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18, in the J.W. Jones Student Union Ballroom. This year’s individual inductees are Erik Petersen (football), Ryan Jones (football), Kira Lazenby (soccer), Kendra Smith Porter (softball) and Amanda Urquhart (softball). The 2007 and 2008 Bearcat football squads also will be inducted. Tickets are $35 and may be purchased online by contacting Brenda Lutz, Northwest’s assistant athletic director for business and finance, by email at blutz@nwmissouri.edu or phone at 660.562.1977.
The Bearcat football team will face the University of Central Missouri in the annual Homecoming football game, beginning at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19, at Bearcat Stadium. Tickets may be purchased online at www.bearcatsports.com/tickets.
All fans are invited after the conclusion of the Homecoming parade to the Bearcat Zone, at the Raymond J. Courter College Park Pavilion to enjoy tailgate activities before the football game. Admission to the Bearcat Zone is free, and a meal is available to purchase.
Other Bearcat athletic contests during the week include the soccer team welcoming Rogers State at 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 13, at Bearcat Pitch, and the Bearcat golf team hosts the Midwest Classic at Mozingo Lake Golf Course, beginning at 3:40 p.m. Monday, Oct. 14.
Banners created by student organizations hang from the J.W. Jones Student Union during Homecoming week. (Northwest Missouri State University photo)
Student organizations will compete in the Donation Creation Contest, formerly known as the Canned Art Contest, Sunday, Oct. 13, at J.W. Jones Student Union. The displays will remain in the Student Union until Sunday, Oct. 20, and canned items used during the contest are donated to the Maryville Ministry Center. Individuals also may vote for the People’s Choice Award by leaving donated canned goods at their favorite display; those cans will be donated to Northwest’s Bearcat Pantry.
Student organizations also will participate in the annual banner decorating contest, a long-standing Northwest tradition that rewards banner with the most original expression of Bearcat pride and the year’s Homecoming theme. Student organizations will begin hanging their banners at noon on Sunday, Oct. 13.
The annual Homecoming Variety Show will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17, in the Ron Houston Center for the Performing Arts and features an array of individuals and student organizations performing skits and musical acts. Tickets will be sold for $5 at www.nwmissouri.edu/getinvolved/homecoming/.
The Homecoming King and Queen will be announced at the conclusion of the Homecoming Variety Show. Undergraduate students may vote for Homecoming royalty candidates, beginning at midnight Monday, Oct. 7, and voting ends at midnight Wednesday, Oct. 16; undergraduate students received instructions to participate in voting via email.
Walkout Day, the Northwest tradition of canceling all classes during the Friday of Homecoming week, is Friday, Oct. 18. Walkout Day activities include the Ringing of the Bell of ’48 at 8 a.m. and the annual International Flag-Raising Ceremony at 2 p.m. at the Ron Houston Center for the Performing Arts. The Student Activities Council also will distribute Walk Out Day T-shirts and other items, beginning at 7 a.m. in the J.W Jones Student Union, while supplies last.
Students perform in the Homecoming Variety Show in 2021. (Northwest Missouri State University photo)
Homecoming at Northwest is a week-long celebration each fall that features athletic events, entertainment and other opportunities for community members to show their Bearcat spirit.
A group of students dressed as clowns during Homecoming in 1974. (Northwest Missouri State University photo)
The school’s first general Homecoming took place Oct. 10, 1924, in conjunction with an annual district teachers’ meeting at Northwest. The weekend included a Friday evening social gathering at the Nodaway County Courthouse, the Bearcat football game on Saturday and a dance that evening in the Administration Building gymnasium.
In 1941, Northwest selected its first Homecoming queen. During the second half of the decade, Homecoming became an annual event on the campus, and several of the institution’s modern-day traditions were born. The Variety Show and house decorations were added to the festivities while the parade grew to include more marching bands, large floats, jalopies and clowns. The weekend ended with a Homecoming dance featuring big bands.
On the Friday of Homecoming week, all classes are canceled and students participate in a variety of activities on the campus. The tradition dates back to Oct. 22, 1915, when students walked out of classes and declared the day an unscheduled holiday. Early Walkout Days featured all-school picnics and hikes. In 1977, after an absence of several years, the University reestablished Walkout Day and set it as an annual event on the Friday of Homecoming week.
