Wilkes is celebrating Homecoming Week with various events planned for the Wilkes community.

All the fun and excitement starts on Wednesday, Sept. 27 with a free Riverfront concert sponsored by Wilkes University Programming Board.

The concert will feature country band Parmalee. Seating will take place at 7 P.M. at the River Common, located across from Evans Hall. Parmalee will go on stage at 8 P.M.

The concert is followed by a pep rally on the Sept. 28 to show Colonel pride for the upcoming football game on Saturday.

The pep rally will feature entertainment to get the crowd hyped, along with food, rally towels and t-shirts. The theme of the homecoming formal dance this year is “The Roaring Twenties”. Staying with the theme of the dance the homecoming t-shirts will read the quote, “A Little Party Never Killed Nobody”, from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1920’s based novel “The Great Gatsby”. The Pep Rally will take place on the Greenway at 7 P.M.

“Homecoming week brings out the school spirit in our student body, which leads to a happier and more enjoyable campus,”Pharmacy major and homecoming court participant, Elizabeth Bracco said. “All of the events on campus throughout the week encourage students to attend the game and future games, which builds stronger bonds between our student body.”

Student Government Executive Board Corresponding Secretary, Kaitlyn Wolfe explained how she came up with the theme for the dinner dance:

“I came up with the theme, “The Roaring Twenties” because I think it represents the idea of having a good time but always doing it with class.”

With a black and gold classy decor, on Friday at 6 P.M a formal dinner dance will be held at Mohegan Sun Pocono Downs Casino located on Highland Park Boulevard.

The University is supplying buses that will transport students to and from the event all night starting at 5:30 P.M. from the Henry Student Center. The dinner dance will have a DJ, photo booth and raffle prizes. Participants attending the dinner dance have the option between two gourmet meals, along with a deluxe bar. The dance will end at 11 P.M.

As part of her job on Student Government, Wolfe takes a large lead in planning the events of homecoming.

“My favorite thing about homecoming week is seeing all of our planning come to life. There are so many things that go on behind the scenes that bring it all together, so being able to see the outcome is very rewarding,” Wolfe said.

Ending the homecoming celebration Wilkes Football will take on Lycoming College. The game will kickoff at 1 P.M. on Saturday at Schmidt Stadium at Ralston Athletic Complex.

Immediately before kickoff , lettermen and letterwomen will be recognized on the field.  At halftime, the Alumni Association will award the Ancestral Colonel Award will be presented to Alan Gubanich ’64.  In addition, the Marching Colonels will perform for the audience.

Colonels vs. Cancer 5k Fun Run/Walk will take place on Sept. 28. Registration begins at 8:30 A.M. at the River Common across from Evans Hall. The race begins at 10 a.m. The cost is $15, or $20 the day of the event. The run will start at the River Common and go over to Kirby Park.

Proceeds from the event benefit Relay for Life at Wilkes. The registration fee for the race also includes a Relay for Life t-shirt.

For people who want to donate to Relay for Life but can’t participate in Sunday’s run/walk go to http://relay.acsevents.org/site/TR?pg=entry&fr_id=65869.

Homecoming in its truest form is a time of the academic year where schools welcome alumni back to campus. There are plenty of events planned through the Office of Alumni Relations that will happen this weekend that center around alumni experiencing college life again.

Homecoming also allows current students to connect with alumni.

“I look forward to meeting alumni that return to campus each year and hearing stories about what Wilkes was like when they attended,” Connor Zale, senior biology major and member of homecoming court this year, said.

For more information on homecoming week contact Kaitlyn Wolfe, [email protected]. For information on alumni events contact Bridget Giunta Husted of the Office of Alumni Relations,  [email protected].