While the homecoming football game will take place Oct. 14 at 1 p.m., the festivities for this year will kick off on Oct. 13 with the Friday Night Festival. Registration for homecoming will go from 12-7 p.m. in the Moody Student Center on Oct. 13 and 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Oct. 14. By checking in at the registration table, homecoming attendees will be able to pick up their tickets and nametag and purchase tickets for upcoming events.
“Homecoming is such an amazing tradition at HSU,” Philip Hough, a sophomore English major from Garland, said. “There is no other school that does homecoming quite like Hardin-Simmons. There is always something going on the whole weekend and it is a blast.”
The annual Friday Night Festival will begin at 5 p.m. and last until 9 p.m. on Newman-Richardson Lawn. Like last year, there will be food trucks to buy food from, inflatables, and yard games for the whole family. At 8:15 p.m., the HSU Cheerleaders, Cowboy Band, Spurs and Hoss will begin a pep rally that will announce the Homecoming Court and end with fireworks. Late Night Breakfast will also be held on the Bridges Courtyard in front of Richardson Library that night from 9-10:30 p.m.
“Late Night Breakfast is like the most fun and less stressful version of the Pancake Study Break during finals week,” Emma Owens, a sophomore biology major from Austin, said. “I love that they make these pancakes Hardin-Simmons purple. It’s super festive and really helps kick off homecoming.”
All-School SING will take place on Oct. 13 at 6 p.m. and Oct. 14 at 8 p.m. in Behren’s Auditorium. The building will open for seating at 5:30 p.m. Hardin-Simmons’ social clubs and a group of freshmen will be performing and competing to win SING, while the audience will get to enjoy performances by the HSU jazz band, HSCru and choir students.
“SING is going to be so much fun for students this year,” Zorian Burley, a sophomore exercise science major from Red Oak, said. “Being co-director for freshman SING has been such an unforgettable experience and I can’t wait for the students to showcase everything they came up with.”
HSU Kids Club will open from 9:30-11:30 a.m. on Newman-Richardson Lawn for crafts, games, and face painting. The Six White Horses will also be offering rides from 9:45-10:45 a.m. The HSU Spurs, cheerleaders and Hoss will also be in attendance.
“It is so much fun to be around all of the little kids,” Jenna Kendrick, a sophomore psychology major from Abilene and member of the Six White Horses, said. “The horses are really gentle and the kids get really excited. It is really touching to be a part of that experience.”
Tailgate will go from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. with performances from the different HSU spirit squads, Cowboy Band, and the country dancing club.
“I’m really excited to perform with Cowboy Country at tailgate this year,” Hough said. “My parents have never seen me dance before and I really want to see how shocked they are when I go up to perform.”
At the game, the Homecoming King and Queen will be crowned during half time. The crowd can also expect a great game between the fighting Cowboys and Texas Lutheran University Bulldogs.