Homecoming has many events to look forward to

Homecoming is drawing near, and with it, a plethora of exciting activities at River Falls.

To name a few highlights coming up: Falcons Got Talent, the parade, and the Homecoming football game. Homecoming also involves visits from parents and alumni, displays of school spirit, and Minions playing all weekend in the theater. It’s a time to have fun, get excited about River Falls, and participate around campus; here are a few options.

One trademark activity is the annual parade. It’s on Saturday, the 3rd of October, from 10:30 until noon, and runs along Main Street. It’s a place to see community spirit and smile at creative floats--and there is an added allure to the spirited event.

“There’s also a lot of free things,” said student Olivia Wannarka. Last year, she says, “I remember I got like three packs of free ramen...it was crazy.” Noodles, she says, were not the only things to fall into her lap. “There was a lot of candy, actually...it almost felt like Halloween or something.”

However, Wannarka didn’t only enjoy the parade because of its material perks. “I liked it because it catered to people of all ages,” she recalls. “There was candy for the little kids, and then ramen for the college-age students...it was a good family outing experience.”

Falcons Got Talent is another memorable way to spend time during Homecoming. The talent show is on Friday, October 2nd, at 8:00 p.m. in the Falcon’s Nest. It’s open to everyone who wants to see an exhibition of talented students. “A bunch of Falcons, aka UWRF students, got up on stage, and they did different acts showing their talent. So, some people sang, some people danced, and I think there was even a saxophone that had a presence onstage,” Wannarka remarks on last year’s show.

“I really enjoyed it...it was interesting seeing people that I would run into on a daily basis, but I didn’t realize that they had those talents,” she says.

Of course, the Homecoming Football Game is the quintessential Homecoming event. Preceded by the Falcon Fest Tailgate at noon, the game starts at 1:00 p.m. at the new Ramer field, and is against the UW-La Crosse team.  As for when it really ends--who knows? Offensive Line Coach Jacob Wissing says that, in the past, the football team has had some “unbelievable” football games against La Crosse, often going into overtime.

He thinks the team’s chances against La Crosse are pretty good. “We usually play pretty well at Homecoming,” he says, but he adds that he think La Crosse will give them “a run for the money.” He comments that the football players are excited for the home game against La Crosse. “The home atmosphere is great,” he asserts. “Our guys love it.” That’s his favorite aspect of games past, too. “Everyone’s excited to be there,” he explains. “That’s what’s really exciting.”

Wissing says that the football team is excited, too. “The want to be successful so the fans can see all the hard work they put in,” he says. Regarding La Crosse: “I think it’s gonna be one heck of a game with them.”

Student Sara Meureo largely agrees with Wissing’s statement on the general excitement surrounding the Homecoming Football Game. When she attended the game last year, she says, “it [the stadium] was probably the busiest it ever was.” It differed from her high school football experience, however; she describes it as “pretty laid-back.” And, she adds, “it was fun.”

Last year, Meureo participated in another element of Homecoming: a family visit. Remember those kleenex packets handed out during registration, bearing the words, “It’s not goodbye, it’s see you soon?” Homecoming weekend is the “see you soon” event in that message; it’s a great time to spend with family. The weekend is packed with family-friendly activities to be done with friends or your visiting family. Meureo experienced a visit from her family last year. “My parents came, and they did the whole tailgating thing, before the game,” she remembers. (She also took her parents to the football game, which she says they liked.)

Finally, if you need a break from the flurried activity, Minions is playing all weekend in the Kinni Theater, on the third floor of the UC, at varied times in the afternoon.

Again, these are only a few of the many activities happening at River Falls during Homecoming; to see the full list, go to uwrf.edu/StudentInvolvement/EventsandPrograms/Homecoming.cfm . There are even more ways to enjoy yourself: a bonfire, tailgating, and calf-roping, to name a few. Check them all out and select some activities to attend in order to make this year’s Homecoming a memorable one.