Your chance to join in the fun of being in the annual Homecoming Parade on Oct. 19 starts with an application due by midnight Oct. 6!
This year’s theme: “Gorilla Groove!”
Entry is free for all non-profits. All for-profit entries must pay a registration fee.
Apply today: https://bit.ly/47m9kFH
Homecoming activities will get underway on Monday, Oct. 14, and continue through Saturday, Oct. 19, engaging current students and employees, bringing alumni back to town, and injecting crimson and gold spirit throughout the community.
The schedule includes:
Royalty voting will open online at noon for PSU students with PSU credentials.
Homecoming Kickoff — also an event just for students — will get underway at 6 p.m. at Carnie Smith Stadium with food and fun provided by Campus Activities and Police and Public Safety.
Student Homecoming Banners are due by noon at the Campus Activities office.
A Volleyball Tournament is planned from 5 to 7 p.m. on Oct. 15 in the Student Recreation Center.
A long-held tradition, raft races will be held at 5 p.m. at University Lake, 409 E. Ford, for four-person teams representing student organizations. All are welcome to watch the races and lawn chairs are encouraged.
Royalty voting closes at noon.
Student organizations will compete in Yell Like Hell, another long-held tradition, starting at 7 p.m. at Carnie Smith Stadium (rain site: John Lance Arena in the Garfield Weede Building). The Homecoming Court will be announced.
The event is open to the public and will be livestreamed for those unable to attend.
Winners of the Dr. Kenneth K. Bateman Outstanding Alumni Award and GOLD Alumni Award will be recognized at a reception at 3:30 p.m. in the Wilkinson Alumni Center, 401 E. Ford St. It is open to the public.
From 6 to 8 p.m., Taste of Pittsburg will be held in the Overman Student Center’s Crimson & Gold Ballroom, sponsored by PSU Alumni & Constituent Relations. Restaurants from throughout Pittsburg will provide samples, there will be live music, and the Outstanding Alumni and GOLD Alumni Award winners will be recognized again.
Tickets: 620-235-4758 or pittstate.edu/tasteofpittsburg
New this year: A Homecoming Concert featuring a headliner band to be announced soon on Instagram at pittstate_homecoming. The concert will start at 8:30 p.m. in Gorilla Village.
There will be 2,000 tickets available. Each student may pick up a free ticket with valid ID, and faculty, staff, and alumni may purchase theirs for $5 each. Tickets for community members will be $10.
Tickets may be picked up or purchased at the PSU Ticket Office in 107 Weede Gymnasium Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. starting later this month. Watch the university’s Facebook and Instagram accounts for an announcement.
Perhaps the oldest of Homecoming traditions, the Homecoming Parade will be held in Downtown Pittsburg starting at 9 a.m.
It will feature bands, floats, and other parade entries from Pittsburg and surrounding towns. Leading the way will be the PSU Pride of the Plains Marching Band.
The parade route extends along Broadway from 11th and Broadway to Second Street. Parking is available in free public lots and on side streets surrounding the area.
GorillaFest will open at 11 a.m. in Gorilla Village east of Carnie Smith Stadium with a variety of food trucks, bounce houses, live music, and entertainment by the Pride of the Plains Marching Band and the Pitt State cheer and dance teams.
The football game will kick off at 2 p.m., with the Gorillas hosting Fort Hays State University. Tickets: Free to PSU employees and students with ID in person at the PSU Ticket Office in the Weede Building. The public may purchase them in person, or by calling 620-235-4796, or online at pittstate.edu/tickets
The Homecoming Champion will be recognized at halftime, with organizations that competed in multiple aspects of Homecoming eligible to win the trophy.