MC inviting former students and friends ‘Home to Howee’ Oct. 21-23
Maryville College is inviting alumni, parents and friends “Home to Howee” for Homecoming festivities scheduled for Oct. 21-23.
Activities include a parade, football game, craft festival, dedication of a new track and field facility, class reunions, musical performances, archival displays and more. Unless indicated otherwise, all events are free and open to the public.
Shuttles will run on Sat., Oct. 22 from 8 a.m. until 12 p.m. and then again from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. to transport attendees to various events and parking locations on campus and RT Lodge (pick-up locations are marked by Scottie Shuttle Stop signs with balloons).
“Homecoming is always a special time for alumni, students, faculty, staff and the community to celebrate our shared love for the College,” said Jennifer Phillips Triplett ’07, the College’s director of Alumni Affairs. “The campus is buzzing and ready to welcome many back Home to Howee for fellowship and festivities. We have events planned to celebrate class reunions, reconnect cohort groups like the choir and athletics teams, and honor notable alumni nominated by their peers for several awards. There is nothing like Maryville College in October and hope all our alumni make plans to come home.”
Please visit https://www.maryvillecollege.edu/homecoming for the full schedule and details of more than 50 separate events.
Two dedications
Homecoming events get underway at 10 a.m., Oct. 21, with the dedication and ribbon cutting of the Austin Coleman Piper Memorial Track. Named for alumnus and previous board chairman Austin C. “Cole” Piper ’68 who died unexpectedly in August 2021, the track and field venue is a $3 million facility located adjacent to the College’s soccer pitch and softball field. Its addition to the campus is allowing the College to sponsor men’s and women’s track and field teams. The College offered the sport for men from 1892 until 1983.
Speakers for the dedication will include MC President Dr. Bryan Coker, Athletic Director Sara Quatrocky and Cole’s brother, Thomas Piper ’72.
Later in the day, at 6 p.m., the Blount County Alumni Association (BCAA) will hold a ceremony recognizing the naming of the annual Harvest Craft Fair for Alvin C. Baker ’72, a founding member of the BCAA and longtime craft fair volunteer who passed away in January.
Friday activities
Head Coach Ben Fox will host former MC football players for a noon lunch on Oct. 21 in the Proffitt Dining Room of Pearsons Hall. The pre-game talk will give alumni an opportunity to meet current coaches and learn more about the direction of the football program.
Golfers are invited to register for the annual Boydson Baird Memorial Golf Tournament at Lambert Acres Golf Course. Organized by Randy Lambert ’76, the event gets underway at 1 p.m. with a shotgun start.
Afternoon rehearsals are planned for the Homecoming Choir and Off Kilter voice ensemble in the Ronald and Lynda Nutt Theatre of the Clayton Center for the Arts. Check the College’s website for times and to register to join.
Alumni honored at Founder’s Day
Founder’s Day, the yearly dinner event celebrating donors of the College, is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., Oct. 21, in the William Baxter Lee III Grand Foyer of the Clayton Center. During the evening, three alumni will be recognized with awards: James Laster ’56 and Madlon Travis Laster ’56 with the 2022 Alumni Citation; and Cory Howard ’10 with the 2022 Kin Takahashi Award for Young Alumni.
Vocal ensemble Off Kilter will commemorate its 20-year anniversary with an ensemble reunion and performance at Founder’s Day, and the College’s Tartanband also will perform. Comedian Joel Byars ’10 will serve as the event emcee.
Tickets are $45 and available through the College’s website.
New events planned
Alongside registration for milestone reunion classes (1962, 1972 and 1982) and an archives exhibit titled “What’s Past is Prologue,” a new Alumni Brunch is planned for 9 to 11 a.m., Sat., Oct. 22, on the plaza and foyer of the Clayton Center for the Arts. This event replaces the former Decades Bash and Alumni BBQ and will serve as a reunion gathering for some classes. It is open to all alumni and their family members. Cost is $10 per person through October 10, and then increases to $15.
The annual Veteran’s Breakfast will be held in conjunction with the Alumni Brunch. Attendees are asked to RSVP with Dave Daniels ’20, Director of military outreach and transfer recruiting.
In celebration of Mountain Challenge’s 35th anniversary, Homecoming attendees are invited to visit Crawford House from 9 a.m. until noon for Alpine Tower climbs and student-led walks in the College Woods. At 11:30 a.m., remarks will be made on the past, present and future of this distinctive outdoor teambuilding program.
The owners of RT Lodge have planned a special Homecoming BBQ dinner, welcoming MC alumni under the tent on the lodge property. Southern barbecue, a variety of unique and regional side dishes and apple cobbler will be served starting at 5 p.m. and continuing until 8 p.m. Tickets are $54 per person. Visit the RT Lodge website to order tickets.
Alumni choir performs
Jenny Olander Anderson ’05 is the guest director for the 2022 Homecoming Choir, which will perform at 10:30 a.m., Oct. 21, in the Clayton Center’s Ronald and Lynda Nutt Theatre. The concert selections include “I’m Gonna Sing ‘til the Spirit Moves in My Heart” by Moses Hogan and the late Dr. Harry Harter’s arrangement of “The Twenty-Third Psalm.”
Choir alumni who plan to be part of this year’s Homecoming Choir should RSVP online before Oct. 19.
Saturday fun
The BCAA’s Alvin C. Baker Harvest Craft Fair will start at 9 a.m. in the Alumni Gym and end at 3:30 p.m. Approximately 35 vendors are expected to set up booths; handcrafted items sold range from jewelry to soaps to wood crafts.
Items made by members of MC 3D will be for sale from 10 a.m. until noon in the foyer of Bartlett Hall. This student organization that explores 3D printing also will give demonstrations.
Booths of other student and alumni groups and initiatives will be set out across from Bartlett Hall, on the lawn of Fayerweather Hall, throughout the morning.
Food trucks will begin selling at 10 a.m. behind Cooper Athletic Center. The “Little Scotties” Children’s Area will be set up in front of Cooper, starting at noon. Families will find inflatable slides and bounce houses, face painting, opportunities to learn about bee homes and a special appearance by Nibblet, the miniature horse at Scots Ridge Farm.
The annual Homecoming Parade around the College’s Circle Drive begins at noon. In addition to student organizations and reunion classes, the parade will include performances by the new Tartanband pep band.
Kickoff for the Maryville College-North Carolina Wesleyan University football game is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Honaker Field. Tickets, available for purchase at the gate, are $10 for adults over 18 and $8 for senior citizens and area students.
Annual service moved to Sunday
The College’s annual Service of Remembrance, which honors members of the MC family who have passed away since Homecoming 2021, will be held at 10 a.m., Oct. 23, in the Center for Campus Ministry. People unable to attend can watch the service online through a livestream available on the Maryville College website.