OBU Welcomes Alumni for “Zip, Bang, OBU!” Homecoming 2018 Celebration Nov. 2-4

October 25, 2018

In a few short days, Bison Hill will once again be buzzing with the excitement of homecoming festivities. Bison of all ages can enjoy a weekend packed with events and even some surprises.

Register for Homecoming.

This year’s “Zip, Bang, OBU!” Homecoming 2018 celebration will be held Friday, Nov. 2, through Sunday, Nov. 4. Alumni will have the opportunity to meet with classmates, explore campus and catch the homecoming football game along with many events held throughout the weekend. For the first time in many years, they will also be able to enjoy a homecoming parade.

Beginning at 9 a.m. Friday, Nov. 2, guests will be able to pick up their homecoming tickets at the Guest Services center located in the Lower Level of the Geiger Center.

Registration for the Homecoming Golf Tournament and the driving range will open at 10:30 a.m. at the Shawnee Country Club, located at 2501 Augusta Dr. Included in the registration cost are range balls and boxed lunches, which will be available at 11 a.m. The tournament will tee off at noon. Reservations are required for this event, and tickets may be purchased at a tiered pricing rate.

At 11:30 a.m. in the upper level of the Geiger Center, the 50 Year Club Luncheon honoring the classes of ’43, ’48, ’53, ’58 and ’63 and the Class of 1968 Golden Anniversary Reunion Luncheon will be held. Alumni will have the opportunity to reunite and enjoy a meal from the Café on the Hill with classmates in individual rooms for each class, as well as have an opportunity to tour the newly renovated Geiger Center. Tickets may be purchased at tiered rates, so don’t forget to reserve your spot.

Guests will have the opportunity to tour their old stomping grounds with campus tours from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., beginning at the south entrance of the GC.

A worship service will be held at 3 p.m. in Stubblefield Chapel, followed by the Harvest Dinner at 6 p.m. in the upper GC. Reservations are required to attend the dinner, and tickets may be purchased at a tiered rate.

Samantha Hawkins, director of alumni programs and special events, suggests the Harvest Dinner, Fine Arts Showcase and the Ice Cream Social and Art Exhibit are events guests shouldn’t miss.

“The Harvest Dinner is where Profile in Excellence, Graduate of the Last Decade and Alumni Achievement Awards will be handed out,” Hawkins said. “The Fine Arts Showcase will feature aspects from every part of the college of Fine Arts. It really is a special event.”

The annual Fine Arts Showcase, featuring talents from the students and faculty of the Warren M. Angell College of Fine Arts, begins at 8 p.m. in Potter Auditorium. Guests can enjoy the Ice Cream Social and Alumni Art Exhibit at 9:30 p.m. in the lower GC following the showcase.

“The Ice Cream Social and Art Exhibit are going to be in the lower level GC that has been renovated over the summer,” Hawkins said. “This would be an excellent opportunity to see some of the changes happening on Bison Hill. There really isn't a better way to show it off than to let alumni and friends have an ice cream as they wander around the newly remodeled Geiger Center and admire work from alumni artists.”

Guest services will resume Saturday, November 3, at 8 a.m. and the day begins with the Omicron Delta Kappa breakfast at 8:30 a.m. in the GC.

Children are encouraged to enjoy the Children’s Festival from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Shawnee Hall, and future Bison from grades 7 through 12 can tour campus at 11 a.m. followed by a lunch at Café on the Hill. Reservations are required for both events, and tickets to the Children’s Festival may be purchased at a tiered rate. The Future Bison campus tour and lunch are free.

According to Hawkins, Saturday’s highlights are all about the big Homecoming game, and the Bison Glee Club, who are celebrating their 80th anniversary reunion.

“On Saturday, no one should miss their class reunion and the football game at 2 p.m., where the Bison Glee Club alumni will be making an appearance,” Hawkins said. “Class Reunions will be held in the GC, with everyone going through the recently renovated cafeteria. The football game at 2 p.m. is against Northwestern Oklahoma State University, and tickets may be purchased for that through obubison.com.”

Class reunion lunches begin at 11:15 a.m., with special rooms for each class in the Upper GC. Reservations are required and tickets may be purchased at a tiered price rate.

After lunch, head over to the Oval and University street for the OBU Student Government Association homecoming parade. The parade will begin at 12:15 p.m. at the edge of the Oval with eight different floats, consisting of the six social clubs, a harvest court float, and an SGA float. The parade route will travel west down University, ending in the Noble parking lot.

As the parade ends, head on over to Crain Family Stadium at the Eddie Hurt Jr. Athletic Complex to enjoy an exciting football game and watch the annual crowning of the Harvest Court. Tickets for the game may be purchased online or at the stadium.

Join the Bison Glee Club in celebrating 80 years of wonderful music at 6 p.m. in Potter Auditorium as they present their 80th anniversary concert. The concert is expected to be one of the best events of the weekend, with Hawkins describing it as “something amazing.”

“The concert is going to feature Glee Club alumni new and old from every ‘era’,” Hawkins said. “I've been able to see behind the curtain a bit with the planning of it, and all I'm allowed to say is there are going to be some surprises no one is going to want to miss.”

Following the concert, the OBU Theatre department presents its production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at 7:30 p.m. in Craig-Dorland Theater in Shawnee Hall. The production will close out the homecoming weekend festivities Sunday, Nov. 4, with another performance at 2:30 p.m. Tickets for “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” may be purchased online at okbu.edu/theatre or at the Sarkeys Box Office.