By: Maddie King/
Howard Payne University is hosting Homecoming on Friday and Saturday, October 18-19. The event will also include Yellow Jacket Preview and Family Weekend for an exciting weekend on campus.
“We look forward to a wonderful HPU Homecoming weekend with events for all ages,” said Dr. Kalie Lowrie, associate vice president for communications and alumni engagement. “It is a blessing to have so many alumni, families, friends and prospective students involved in activities throughout the weekend and cheering on the Yellow Jackets!”
During the weekend, alumni and friends are invited to participate in traditional Homecoming events. The Alumni Banquet will be held at 5 p.m. on Friday in the Mabee University Center’s Beadel Dining Hall, where the 2024 Honorees will be recognized. Cobbler on the Campus, featuring cobbler from Underwood’s Bar-B-Q and a music performance by The Remedy, will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on the Muse Mall and Plaza. Then, the Homecoming Pep Rally will be held at 9 p.m. on the Muse Mall and Plaza.
Saturday’s festivities will begin with the Alumni & Family Breakfast at 8 a.m. in Beadel Dining Hall. The Homecoming Parade will begin at Brownwood Coliseum at 10 a.m., traveling through downtown Brownwood on Center Avenue and on to Fisk Street, where it will pass through the HPU campus. The HPU Family Picnic will be held from 12 to 1:30 p.m. on Muse Mall and Plaza. The HPU Yellow Jacket football team will play the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor at 2:30 p.m. at Gordon Wood Stadium, with the Homecoming Court to be announced at halftime.
Family Weekend will allow parents and families of current HPU students to experience a weekend at HPU. On Friday, families are invited to the HPU Student and Family Dinner, sponsored by Chick-fil-A of Brownwood, held from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Muse Mall and Plaza followed by Cobbler on the Campus. On Saturday, families are invited to watch the Homecoming Parade, enjoy the HPU Family Picnic, and then watch the HPU Yellow Jacket football and soccer games.
Performances of the “Hispanic Tales” presented by the HPU Theatre Department will be held in the HPU Theatre on Friday at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday at 7:30 p.m.; and a matinee on Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
Rylie Burden, freshman jurisprudence and academy major from Nederland said, “This is my first homecoming as a student. I can’t wait to attend the Honkey Tonk and make new friends during Homecoming’s events. I also can’t wait to be a part of the homecoming events through my participation in Pi Theta Chi and other on campus organizations.”
Staff writer, Maddie King