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Homecoming preview

(Photo courtesy of UMass Lowell) Homecoming will be from Oct.15 to Oct. 17.

Troy Lafond 
Connector editor 

Homecoming 2021 is a weekend for students, alumni, family and friends alike to come together and celebrate UMass Lowell and experience a variety of campus events. This year, Homecoming runs from Friday, Oct. 15, to Sunday, Oct. 17, and features both new and returning events from Homecoming’s past.

Running throughout the entirety of Homecoming weekend will be the first annual River Hawk Photo Scavenger Hunt. A list of photo challenges will be posted online at 4 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 15, and submissions will be due by noon on Sunday, Oct. 17. Winners will receive prizes that are yet to be announced, and the event is entirely free and open to anyone.

Friday will also have the first annual lacrosse golf tournament. Alumni, fans and supporters of the lacrosse team will be able to participate in this tournament, starting at 8 a.m. at Four Oaks Country Club. All experience levels are welcome.

For sporting events, Friday will host a field hockey game at 2 p.m. on Wicked Blue Field, and an ice hockey game against Long Island University at 7:15 p.m. at the Tsongas Center. Between these two games, the River Hawk Student Rally will take place on the Campus Recreation Center turf from 4-6 p.m. which will have a variety of food and lawn games.

Field Hockey is free and open to the public, the rally will be free and open to UMass Lowell students and tickets will be required for ice hockey, which are free for students.

Lastly, Friday will also host a ribbon cutting ceremony for the renovated Costello Athletic Center at 5 p.m. and a banquet for students and alumni of the Emergency Medical Services program at the Inn and Conference Center at 6 p.m.

Saturday kicks off with a 5k memorial run and walk for track alumni Jennifer D’Amour and works to raise money for the women’s cross country and track and field teams, as well as the Greater Lowell Road Runners. This starts at 10 a.m. and registration is required.

Also at 10 a.m., an open house at the Bellegarde Boathouse will begin, where students, faculty, staff, alumni and families are invited for free kayaking, canoeing, and stand-up paddle boarding. Free rentals end at 3 pm.

The annual River Hawk Way Pre-Game Festival runs from 3-6 p.m. on the back lawn of the Tsongas Center, which will host food, live music, entertainment, crafts, face painting, sports zones and pony rides, among other attractions. This is free and open to anyone.

Also running from 3-6 p.m. are class reunions for alumni who graduated in 1976, 1981, 1986, 1991, 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011 and 2016. This will also be on the back lawn of the Tsongas Center, in a dedicated alumni tent. Admission is free for alumni, and all alumni who register will receive a gift.

The class of 2020 will also receive a special evening of celebration, beginning at the Tsongas Center Pavilion at 4 p.m. There will be a champagne toast, photo opportunities, commemorative gifts, and celebrations of the class throughout the hockey game after.

The UMass Lowell Athletics Hall of Fame will be welcoming new members at Moloney Hall in University Crossing from 4-6 p.m. A dinner in honor of the new inductees will be served during the ceremony.

After these events begin to wrap up, students and their families can enjoy a reception in the club rooms of the Tsongas Center before the hockey game. This reception starts at 6 p.m. and includes hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar. This is followed immediately by the second ice hockey game of the weekend against Long Island University, which begins at 7 p.m.

 

Sunday will feature a field hockey alumni gathering from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Wicked Blue Field, which includes cheering on the current field hockey team. Their game begins at 1 p.m. also on Wicked Blue Field. They will be facing off against Long Island University, and the event is free and open to anyone.

Homecoming weekend promises to be a fun weekend for UMass Lowell students, alumni, faculty, friends and family alike, with a variety of events bound to appeal to anyone.