From a fantastic parade to a documentary film debut to football feats, 好色先生TV University will celebrate Homecoming 2021 with memorable activities for alumni, the campus community and the public during its 鈥淟oyal Forever鈥 sesquicentennial year.
To see the full schedule of events, visit the ONU Homecoming 2021 webpage.
The Homecoming Parade will return to Ada鈥檚 Main Street at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 2. Grand Marshals will be Donald Beal, BSEd 鈥63 and Ann (Melkerson) Beal, BSEd 鈥61 of Grove City, Ohio. Donald Beal worked in communications industry management for several years. Ann Beal raised the couple鈥檚 two children and taught, including serving as an ESL teacher. The couple has attended every ONU Homecoming from their student days until the present, including last year when events were cancelled because of the pandemic; they still ventured to campus and travelled the parade route on a golf cart.
After the homecoming parade, the premier of an ONU historical documentary, 鈥淗eart of an Ideal,鈥 will take place at the Ada Theatre at 11:30 a.m. It will also be shown at 4 p.m. Viewings will be free. The film showcases how founder Henry Solomon Lehr established a clear vision and values, which have lived on at ONU. Defining moments in the life of the University are chronicled, weaving the ONU story through presidential eras following Lehr鈥檚 and more than a century of growth, trial, triumph, and change.
Also on Saturday, the Polar Bear football team will take on Marietta at 1:30 p.m. at Dial-Roberson Stadium. Courtney M. (Hetrick) Schkurko, BSEE 鈥13 and Kevin J. Saghy, BA 鈥07, the 2021 recipients of ONU鈥檚 William L. Robinson Young Alumni Award will be introduced during a pre-game ceremony at 1 p.m. The 2021 ONU Athletic Hall of Fame inductees will also be introduced at the pre-game ceremony. They will include: Matthew Ellis, BSME 鈥03; Wesley Hostetler, BS 鈥06; Christina (Mangola) Martinez, BA 鈥10; Elizabeth (Schnelle) Watson, BSBA 鈥10; and Kate Witte.
The Homecoming king and queen will be crowned during halftime.
Other public events will include:
鈥 Heterick Memorial Library will host 鈥淗ome Sweet Home: Engaging with Our ONU History鈥 on Oct. 2. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the library will offer opportunities to engage with selected materials from its archives that reflect ONU鈥檚 unique and rich history.
鈥 Also on Oct. 2, Raabe College of Pharmacy鈥檚 HealthWise Mobile Clinic will offer tours from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the tundra between King Horn Sports Center and the Biggs Building. The mobile clinic offers a variety of free health care services to regional residents and this past spring served as a state-sponsored COVID-19 vaccination mobile clinic throughout a six-county area.
鈥 The musical 鈥淏eauty and the Beast鈥 will be staged at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 2 and at 2 p.m. Oct. 3 at the Freed Center for the Performing Arts, Biggs Theatre. To buy tickets in advance, visit the Freed Center website. Performances will also be held Oct. 14-17.
鈥 On Oct. 2 the women鈥檚 tennis team will play Concordia University at 12:30 p.m. at the University tennis courts. The team will also compete against Muskingum University at 4:30 p.m.
Additional alumni and campus community event highlights:
鈥 A 50-year reunion banquet for the Classes of 1971 and 1970 will be held at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30 at McIntosh Center.
鈥 The annual invitation-only ONU Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 2 at King Horn Sports Center.
鈥 Heterick Memorial Library and the Office of Multicultural Development will host 鈥淥MD Diverse Voices in Conversation: Remembering & Reimagining鈥 at Affinity Commons Building from 4-6:30 p.m. This cross-generational discussion will include alumni of OMD cultural organizations and will serve as an interactive component of a larger recorded collaboration.
鈥 For a course on the University鈥檚 sesquicentennial, history students will interview alumni about their ONU experiences. Interviews for this oral history project will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Dial-Roberson Stadium.
鈥 A Religious Life Celebration Gathering from 7-9 p.m. at the Chapel Garden or English Chapel (depending on weather) will feature Religious Life staff and organization members sharing memories about Religious Life on campus.
鈥 The campus community will enjoy Saturday afternoon activities on the Tundra and at the sports center with an activities tent, inflatables, a tailgate party and lunch.
鈥 Several open houses, tours, lunches and career-specific programs will be hosted by ONU鈥檚 six colleges, Greek Life and more throughout Homecoming Weekend.