Gannon University’s annual Homecoming and Family Weekend is this weekend, beginning with registration at noon Thursday and continuing through Sunday, ending with a brunch with President Keith Taylor, Ph.D.
Starting with registration Thursday, the weekend will be filled with a variety of events, but most of them won’t begin until Friday, with the concentration of events being on Saturday. Most notably will be the opening show for “Almost, Maine,” at Schuster Theatre. The play will continue showing through the weekend. There will also be a tour, reception and a distinguished nursing lecture held in the Robert H. Morosky Academic Center Thursday.
That’s hardly the end of the weekend though. The purpose of this weekend is for alumni and family enjoyment, and these events reflect that, including some events new and unique to this year.
One of these new events will be Friday night. a “Flashback to Antlers” in what has since become The Knight Club, Tami Faram, the director of Alumni Services, said. Since it is the 50th reunion for the class of 1969 which was the cusp of two decades, there will be a vintage throwback theme for the weekend.
This vintage theme can be seen in the T-shirts for the weekend for both alumni and the families. Another big event of the weekend takes place Saturday.
The Homecoming football game will be Saturday, preceded by the pre-game tailgate.
“Everyone should come out for the pregame tailgate,” Faram said. “There will be music, barbecue food and student performances.”
There will also be lots of tents. Alumni are welcome to reserve a space for the tailgate on the same page as registration, but there will be plenty of other tents in the tailgate area of the Recreation and Wellness Center parking lot. “Lots of groups will be participating,” Faram said.
Alumni services, career services, TRAVEL, Gannon ABST, the bookstore and the rec will all have tents set up.
As for the student performances, most will be performed by Greek life, the fraternities and sororities, along West Fourth Street.
Alongside the tailgate there will be a KidZone in the field- house of the Rec Center. Here there will be inflatable obstacle courses, which Faram said will be a great chance for students to take their younger siblings and play with them.
Plenty of students are already planning on attending the game.
Chris Ross, a senior freshwater marine biology major, said he plans to go to the game with his brothers. But there’s other things he will be doing for the weekend.
“I’m doing the walk part with Tri Beta and we have an alumni event,” Ross said. “Plus, vote for Sam and Bee.”
Another student, Chelsea Grey, a senior biology pre-medicine major, said she was going home for the weekend and was going to see her family at home. She said she wasn’t necessarily disappointed.
“It depends on if the football team wins the game or not,” Grey said. “If they lose, I’ll be doing more fun things at home. If they win, that’s not necessarily the case.”
After the football game against Clarion University at McConnell Family Stadium and after the postgame at Molly Brannigan’s, there will be the GU Family Cookout, another event new this year, Faram said.
This will be held in the beer garden tent also used for the Flashback to Antler’s and at the tailgate.
“Just come over for some free food and fun,” Faram said.
All of the Gannon family is encouraged to participate in the events during the week.

ALEXA ROGERS
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