Homecoming 2023: Maryville College invites alumni, friends and community neighbors to come ‘Home to Howee’
Oct. 12, 2023
The first line of the Maryville College Alma Mater celebrates the region the College has called home for more than 200 years, and for the weekend of Oct. 20-22, alumni, parents and friends are invited to return to “where Chilhowee’s lofty mountains pierce the Southern blue” for Homecoming 2023.
“Home to Howee” will feature signature events — the annual Homecoming parade, a craft festival, a football game, class reunions and more — along with new activities such as the revamped Founder’s Day Showcase and an all-inclusive fan zone known as Scot-Land for children and adults. Unless indicated otherwise, all events are free and open to the public.
Shuttles will run on Saturday, Oct. 21, from 9 a.m. until 12 p.m. and then again from 1 p.m. to 5:30 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 ‘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 I hope all our alumni make plans to come home. This year, we are honored to recognize the Milestone Reunion Classes of 1963, 1973 and 1983, and reunions for classes ending in 3s and 8s.”
Please visit https://www.maryvillecollege.edu/homecoming for the full schedule and details of more than 50 separate events.
Friday activities
Head Coach Ben Fox will host former MC football players for an 11 a.m. lunch on Oct. 20 in the Proffitt Dining Room of Pearsons Hall. The presentation will highlight the next day’s match against LaGrange College and give alumni an opportunity to meet current coaches and learn more about the direction of the football program under Fox.
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 under way at 1 p.m. with a shotgun start. The MC Volleyball Scots kick off a doubleheader at 3 p.m. against Huntington College (playing again at 7 p.m. vs. Wesleyan College), and the annual Alumni Baseball Game will take place at 7 p.m. on Scotland Yard.
The new Founder’s Day Showcase will begin at 7 p.m. at the Clayton Center for the Arts, and reunion celebrations honoring alumni from classes ending in 3s and 8s will be observed in various capacities during the afternoon and evening.
Saturday activities
Saturday will include continued reunion gatherings as alumni recognize their graduation from Maryville College, spanning from just five years ago to members of the Class of 1953, who will come together to mark 70 years since they crossed the stage. In addition to an Archives exhibit on display titled “From College Hill to the World” that sheds light on the international connections of alums as missionaries, educators, diplomats and deployed military personnel, the second annual Alumni Brunch will take place from 10 a.m. to noon in the William Baxter Lee III Foyer of the Clayton Center for the Arts. Open to all alumni and their family members, the cost is $20 per person. The annual Veteran’s Breakfast will be held in conjunction with the Alumni Brunch and is free of charge for veteran alumni (RSVP is requested). A limited number of tickets for the Alumni Brunch will be available for purchase on Saturday morning.
The Alvin C. Baker ’72 Harvest Craft Fair, sponsored by the Blount County Alumni Association, will take place from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the Alumni Gym, and at 10 a.m., the newly christened Scot-Land Fan Zone will open, featuring the Little Scotties Kids Area, tailgating, food trucks, alumni and student organization tabling, an athletic recruitment tailgate, an appearance by Nibblet, the miniature horse and mascot of the MC Equestrian Team, and more.
“We are so excited to introduce the MC community to Scot-Land this year,” Triplett said. “It will be a wonderful opportunity for alumni to learn about and support student organizations on campus, including the Scots Science Scholars, the Student Programming Board, the Student Veterans Association and the Tri-Beta Biology Club, along with initiatives of the MC Alumni Association like the Diversity Taskforce and the KT Global Taskforce.
“Plenty of space for enjoying lunch from our food truck partners will be available, and of course the Little Scotties Kids Area, staffed by the MC Community Engaged Scholars, will feature face painting, inflatable bounce house activities and more.”
The annual Homecoming Parade around the College’s Circle Drive begins at noon. In addition to student organizations and reunion classes, the parade will be led by the MC Pep Band.
Kickoff for the Maryville College-LaGrange College football game is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Honaker Field, and admission is free for everyone. In addition to football, the MC men’s soccer team will face off against Huntington College at 4 p.m., and the women’s soccer team goes up against Agnes Scott College at 6 p.m. Both soccer matches will take place at the MC soccer complex.
Annual service held on Sunday
The College’s annual Service of Remembrance, which honors members of the MC family who have passed away since Homecoming 2022, will be held at 10 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 22, in the Center for Campus Ministry. People unable to attend can watch the service online through a livestream available on the Maryville College website.
“Homecoming is a celebration of our shared love for Maryville College and a true highlight of the year for our alumni,” Triplett said. “There is nothing like coming home to this campus and the larger local community, and we invite everyone to join us in celebrating our love for the College and taking part in all the activities planned. Homecoming is the highlight of the year for so many of us here at Maryville College, and we look forward to sharing this special weekend with our friends and neighbors here in Blount County.”
Partnership with MDA
In celebration of Homecoming weekend, the College has partnered with the Maryville Downtown Association, (led by Executive Director Amanda Baker Gillooly ’03) to spread the orange-and-garnet spirit beyond the campus and into the community. Members of the Maryville Downtown Association will recognize MC’s Homecoming through posters and specials available to alumni and Blount County residents. Diamondjack Wine Bar will feature two Maryville College-signature drinks, Vienna Coffeehouse will offer treats to patrons who wear MC gear, and Two Doors Down will provide a party bus shuttling patrons between Broadway Avenue in downtown Maryville and campus, Gillooly added.
“As a Maryville College graduate and long-time Maryville resident, I’m excited about the opportunity to further partner with and celebrate the College in our downtown community,” she said. “This will be such a special treat for visiting alumni and their families and will be a great way to bring some of the Homecoming activity into our downtown businesses.”
Additional details will be revealed on the College’s various social media channels. Members of the Maryville Downtown Association interested in participating should contact Gillooly at amanda@downtownmaryville.com.