Colorado State University Invites Students and Fort Collins Community to Kick Off Homecoming with Events Beginning Oct. 15

Colorado State University invites students, alumni, parents, friends and the larger community to celebrate Homecoming and Family Weekend in Fort Collins Oct. 15-17.

Traditional Homecoming celebrations begin at 3 p.m. Friday, Oct. 15, with the Festival and Reunion on the Oval in the historic heart of campus. Festivities start on the Oval before the parade begins with entertainment by the Kathy Connolly Band, bounce houses, carnival games and food. Yearbooks will be on hand for alumni. The event is free and open to the public.

Following the Reunion on the Oval will be the traditional Homecoming Parade beginning at 4:30 p.m. The theme of this year’s parade, “Living our Legacy,” will feature CSU alumnus and Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture John Stulp as the grand marshal.

Other Homecoming and Family Weekend highlights include the Homecoming 5K Race, the Homecoming football game, a Big Bad Voodoo Daddy half-time show with the CSU Marching Band at the football game and an evening performance. Many other activities, including a variety of campus tours, open houses, class reunions and parent association meetings, will be held throughout the weekend.

Parade and Event Details

The parade starts at 4:30 p.m. at the intersection of Howes and Oak streets in downtown Fort Collins. The 90-minute parade, featuring CAM the Ram and the CSU Marching Band, will travel south on Howes, through the Oval and across the university’s Plaza. The parade ends on campus at Meridian and University avenues (the West Lawn of Lory Student Center).

The end of the parade also serves as the beginning of the Homecoming pep rally. Olympian and CSU alumna Amy Van Dyken will be the rally’s emcee. Also in attendance will be the volleyball team, members of the football team and several coaches. The rally will be followed by the traditional Homecoming bonfire and fireworks. The event is free and open to the public.

The Colorado State Forest Service will provide the wood for the Homecoming bonfire. For the first time, the bonfire will be fueled by a combination of pine and fir “slash” from the Borden Memorial Forest northwest of Fort Collins. The CSFS has been thinning the 70-acre private forest to remove beetle-kill trees, mitigate fire risk and improve forest health. With the help of CSU forestry students and Facilities Management personnel, CSFS foresters and firefighters will transport about 35 cubic yards of the dried slash – enough to fill more than three dump trucks – to the bonfire site.

The 30th annual CSU Homecoming 5K Race begins at 8 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 16, on the Oval, followed by a free Kid’s Fun Run led by CAM the Ram beginning at about 9 a.m. Runners and walkers of all ages are welcome to attend. The race averages about 2,000 participants. More information and registration details are available online at http://www.hes.cahs.colostate.edu/outreach/homecoming/.

Homecoming continues at Hughes Stadium with Ram Town beginning at 9 a.m. on Saturday. Located east of the team tunnel entrance, Ram Town features interactive play areas for kids including the Ram Locker Room Experience and an obstacle course. Ram Town is free and open to the public.

Football festivities continue with the CSU Alumni Association Homecoming and Family Weekend Tailgate from 9:30-11:30 a.m. outside of Hughes Stadium. Live music, food, visits by CAM the Ram, the CSU pep band and cheer squads will set the stage for the big game. Registration is required at homecoming.colostate.edu. For more information, visit the Alumni Association online at http://www.alumni.colostate.edu/ or call (800) 286-2586.

The Colorado State Rams will host Mountain West Conference opponent University of Nevada-Las Vegas at noon on Saturday, Oct. 16, on Sonny Lubick Field at Hughes Stadium. For ticket information, visit www.csurams.com or homecoming.colostate.edu or call (800) 491-RAMS.

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy will perform during the CSU Homecoming football game halftime show and at an evening performance on campus. Following the football game, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy will perform an encore concert beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the Lory Student Center Main Ballroom. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. The event, “Homecoming After Party featuring Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Bop Skizzum, and the CSU Idol Finale,” is open to the public. Student tickets can be purchased for $10 each. Non-student tickets are $21 each. Tickets can be purchased at the Lory Student Center Box Office at (970) 491-4849 or online at www.csutix.com and will be available at the door the evening of the performance.

The No. 16 ranked Rams volleyball team will take on the New Mexico Lobos at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 16. The match is a "Hike and Spike" special and fans will receive admission for $3 with a ticket stub from the afternoon’s Homecoming football game.

Additional events and activities are available throughout the weekend. For more information about CSU’s Homecoming and Family Weekend, including a full, updated list of events, visit homecoming.colostate.edu.
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