Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
PORTALES — Free food, a parade and some new traditions highlight Eastern New Mexico University’s Homecoming 2018, set to kick off at noon on Monday.
It runs through Saturday night’s Greyhound football game.
The festivities for the 84th iteration of the annual homecoming week begin on Monday with a dance performance in the campus union at noon, followed by Songfest from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Other musical and dramatic events continue throughout the week and the Greyhound women’s soccer team hosts West Texas A&M University Wednesday night. But Annamaria Short, ENMU’s director of alumni affairs, said many of the highlights to the week begin on Friday.
Beginning at 8 a.m. on Friday and noon on Saturday residents will be able to take guided tours of the recently completed Golden Student Success Center, formerly known as the Golden Library
“People are welcome to trickle in anytime throughout the day and somebody would be happy to take you around,” Short said.
A “Come and Go Alumni BBQ” is scheduled to start at 6:45 p.m. on Friday, but Short said it’s not exclusive to alumni and that staff, students and community members are all welcome to attend the free meal.
The meal and the annual bonfire and pep rally will take place at Greyhound Arena following the volleyball matchup between ENMU and Cameron University.
Short said the pep rally will include appearances by the school marching band and spirit squad, with fireworks being set off as the bonfire is lit.
Saturday begins with the 43rd annual ENMU Foundation Awards Breakfast which, Noelle Bartl, executive director of the ENMU Foundation, said is meant to recognize alumni and educators who have gone above and beyond in their commitment to ENMU and the community.
“Those stories are worth sharing and honoring,” Bartl said.
This year’s honorees include Christian House Foundation, Ron and Sarah Holcomb, Terry Othick, Dr. Lonnie Alexander, Patrice Caldwell, Mike Smartnick, Kenneth Chancellor and Socorro Herrera.
Those in attendance at the breakfast, which is by invitation, don’t have to worry about missing the annual parade because Bartl said it won’t start until they all get down there.
Short said the parade, slated to start at 11:15 a.m., will once again go down US 70 and typically includes various student and community organizations.
When the parade ends at 1 p.m., those from the 1968 and 1993 graduating classes can head to the President’s House and the Campus Union respectively for their 50-year and 25-year reunions, something Short said will be a new tradition for the years to come.
It all leads up to Saturday night’s game against Western New Mexico University, this year nicknamed the Chile Bowl for the first time.
“The motivation (for homecoming week) is to bring alumni as well as friends of Eastern together just to have good time,” Short said. “There’s plenty of activities for people of all ages and we just want to bring everyone together, see the new campus, feel welcome and basically be bleeding green and silver when they leave.”