UMPI prepares for Homecoming 2014
The University of Maine at Presque Isle is hosting another jam-packed Homecoming celebration from Thursday, Sept. 18 to Sunday, Sept. 21, offering everything from socials, performances, and athletic events to alumni games and the annual Hall of Fame dinner.
Festivities begin on Thursday, Sept. 18, with two crowd-pleasers. At 6 p.m., the unique “Dark Dining” experience takes participants on a journey of taste, sound and touch — in the dark. Created in Germany and enjoyed across Europe, Cary Medical Center has hosted several Dark Dining events and now brings this event to Homecoming as part of its Healthy YOU programs. Cost is $20 per person. At 7 p.m., post-modern vaudeville comes to the Wieden Hall auditorium when Dakaboom Live! takes the stage. The two-man routine offers a unique brand of humor as they give nods to genres from musical theater and hip-hop to opera and electronica.
On Friday, Sept. 19, everyone is encouraged to celebrate UMPI Pride Day by wearing their Blue and Gold all day. At 5 p.m., the Alumni Spaghetti Supper and Auction takes place at the Campus Center. The fundraiser, sponsored in part by ARAMARK Dining Services, will cost $5 for adults and $3 for children. The night will cap off with the annual Alumni and Friends Social in Frankie’s Lounge at the Presque Isle Inn and Convention Center starting at 8 p.m. Festivities include giveaways and refreshments.
The fun continues on Saturday, Sept. 20, with art, awards, games and a comedy show. From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., art enthusiasts can view the exhibit “How I See What Surrounds Me” by nationally known artist and former UMPI Fine Art student Tim Gagnon, on display in the Campus Center’s Reed Fine Art Gallery. As a special treat, the UMPI Campus Store will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with specials offered.
The Homecoming Alumni and Friends Brunch begins at 10:30 a.m. in the Alumni Room, Campus Center. During the brunch, the classes of 2004 (10 years), 1989 (25 years) and 1964 (50 years) will be honored. In addition, Arthur “Skip” Hanson, Class of 1966, will receive the Distinguished Educator of the Year Award, and Ginny Joles, Class of 1986, will be presented with the Distinguished Alumni Award. Cost for the event, sponsored in part by Liberty Mutual, is $5. To RSVP, call the Alumni Relations office at 768-9568 or email alumni@umpi.edu.
The day includes many more events, such as: the men’s and women’s Cross Country UMPI Invitational at 11 and 11:45 a.m. at the Park Family Field; the women’s (noon) and men’s (3 p.m.) soccer games vs. Fisher College at the Park Family Field; the Pie-a-Kappa! fundraiser from 12-3 p.m. at the Park Family Field that will benefit the family of Kappa sister Shelly Rogers; three volleyball games — UMPI vs. Unity College at 12 p.m., University of Maine at Machias vs. Unity at 1:30 p.m., and UMPI vs. UMM at 3 p.m. — in Gentile Hall; and the Alumni and Families “Swim and Gym” from 2-5 p.m. in Gentile Hall.
That evening, the annual Athletics Hall of Fame Dinner will be held in the Campus Center at 5:30 p.m. (reception starts at 5 p.m.). Two alumni will be inducted in the UMPI Athletics Hall of Fame during the event: Shawn Manter ’93 and Erica Davis ’09. Cost for the dinner is $15 per person.
Comedian Bob Marley serves as the main event for this year’s Homecoming festivities. The show, at 8 p.m. in Wieden Gymnasium, promises to be “wicked” good. Maine native Bob Marley, now celebrating 15 years as a stand-up comedian, has been featured in his own special on Comedy Central and is one of the few comics to have done the complete late night TV circuit (“Late Show with David Letterman,” “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson,” and “The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn”). He was last on campus for a performance seven years ago. Marley’s show is sponsored in part by University Credit Union and TownSquare Media. Cost for tickets in advance is $15 for alumni and $20 for community; at the door, cost is $25 for all.
The last day of Homecoming, Sunday, Sept. 21, serves as an Alumni Sport Day with refreshments and T-shirts for all alumni team members. At 10 a.m., the men’s alumni soccer game will be held at the soccer field and the women’s alumni game will follow at noon. Festivities culminate with an Outdoor Community Band Concert at 2 p.m. on the Campus Center lawn (rain location is inside the Campus Center). This outdoor community experience of marches and patriotic music is free and open to the public. Participants are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs and enjoy an hour of band music.
For more information about Homecoming 2014, call Keith Madore at 768-9568.
