With the theme, “Peace, Love and Mules,” opportunities abound for University of Central Missouri students and alumni to get their groove on while showing their UCM spirit during the 2023 Homecoming celebration Friday and Saturday, Oct. 20-21. This busy weekend includes an awards dinner honoring six outstanding Distinguished Alumni, Party in the Park, the annual Homecoming parade and Mules football game.
UCM’s largest event of the year bringing Warrensburg area residents and members of the UCM community together, the Homecoming parade begins at 9 a.m. Saturday. This long-standing tradition highlights the student-chosen “Peace, Love and Mules” theme while featuring a number of floats, high school and middle school marching bands from throughout the region, vintage motor vehicles, equestrian units, and much more. Assembling at the Multipurpose Building parking lot, the parade route begins at Holden and Clark streets, and travels downtown on Holden, then east on Gay Street and south on College Street, where it ends at the intersection of South Street.
Party in the Park takes place from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, providing the opportunity to enjoy live music, food trucks and a great seat for the parade located on the west side of Holden Street, across from the UCM Smiser Alumni Center. This event concludes shortly before the Homecoming football game at 1:30 p.m. between the Mules and Emporia State University Hornets at Audrey J. Walton Stadium/Vernon Kennedy Field.
At halftime during the game, UCM will honor the top three finalists in the Homecoming Royalty competition. They will be introduced in a pep rally Friday evening and will ride in the parade on Saturday along with this year’s Distinguished Alumni. These outstanding graduates’ achievements will be celebrated on Friday during the Distinguished Alumni Dinner (reservations required) in the Sandra Temple Elliott Ballroom of the Elliott Student Union. A social begins at 5:30 p.m. followed by the dinner at 6:30 p.m.
Honorees are David and Jerrilyn “Jerri” Hoffmann, graduates of the class of ’74 and recipients of the Distinguished Alumni Award; Marcela Rodriguez-Gonzalez, ’17, Distinguished Alumni Award for Early Achievement; Srinija Amistapur, ’17, Distinguished International Alumni Award; Bill Keen, ’91, and Maj. Gen. Levon Cumpton, ’92, both recipients of the Distinguished Alumni Award for Service.
For more information about Homecoming events, visit ucmfoundation.org or ucmo.edu/current-students/student-experience/special-events. For more information about athletics tickets, email tickets@ucmo.edu, call 660-543-4063 or visit ucmathletics.com.
Release courtesy of the University of Central Missouri.
