UTEP alumni from locations near and far are returning to campus this week for Centennial Homecoming activities.
“This year’s Homecoming week is most certainly the celebration of the century,” said Willarda V. Edwards, M.D., president of the UTEP Alumni Association.
At 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 9 at the intersection of Wiggins and Rim roads, UTEP’s Centennial Homecoming Block Party – an all-inclusive alumni and community event being held for the first time – is open to the public and will include a gourmet burger bar and Centennial birthday cake, non-alcoholic beverages, live entertainment, and surprises. A cash bar will be available to attendees 21 and older. Dallas-based act Moving Colors, which has incorporated elements such as bucket drumming and handstands in their live covers of pop music, will perform. Tickets are $25 per person and can be purchased at the event.
Edwards will join fellow Distinguished Alumni and Gold Nugget Award recipients from over the years – including former NASA astronaut John “Danny” Olivas, Ph.D., and Dennis Poon, vice chairman of an engineering firm that has designed some of the world’s tallest buildings – when they reunite at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 10 for the Distinguished Alumni and Gold Nugget Centennial Celebration Gala at the Don Haskins Center.
This year’s Homecoming football game between UTEP and Old Dominion takes place at 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 11 at the Sun Bowl. For the first time, the winner of the RSOlympics – a traditional Homecoming competition pitting registered student organizations on campus against each other in a wide range of physical, cerebral, entertaining and philanthropic challenges – will be announced.
The annual Homecoming Parade will precede the football game, running from Oregon to Glory Road at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 11. The marching band, cheerleaders, athlete appearances, creative floats, and collective enthusiasm has always entertained the El Paso community, and no doubt things will rise to a new level given the excitement of the Centennial. The parade segues into the annual Homecoming Pep Rally at 2 p.m. at Glory Road Field.
Additional events representing the arts, sciences, culture and campus life, will be presented. The full schedule can be found here.