Red and golden maple leaves, fleece hoodies, and football...It’s homecoming season! This year’s Homecoming and Family Weekend takes place September 21 to 25.

Homecoming Happenings
The central event of any college homecoming is, of course, the "big game." This year, the Buffalo State Bengals, under the legendary coach Jerry Boyes, will use the power of Orange Crush to crumple the Kean University Cougars in a conference game, Saturday, September 25, at noon. The fun includes the Mighty Taco T-shirt Toss, Mr. Pizza Pass, a halftime marching band, plus too many promotions and freebies to mention.

Before the kickoff, the 2010 Athletics Hall of Fame inductees will be introduced, including Gail Maloney, the winningest coach in Buffalo State women’s basketball history and a long-time athletics department administrator.

Orange Crush 2010 starts Tuesday, September 21, with preliminary student competitions for the traditional homecoming king and queen competition as well as a lip sync competition. Things really heat up on Thursday, September 23, with a student pep rally in Perry Quad, featuring a free, USG-sponsored chicken barbeque for students, more competitions, and prizes.

The annual Wegmans Shopping Cart Float Competition will precede the homecoming parade, which will kick-off the day’s festivities at 10:15 a.m. on Saturday, September 25. Things will wind down that evening with events including family activities in the Campbell Student Union lobby and shows at the Whitworth Ferguson Planetarium. On Sunday, Buffalo City chartered tours are available, along with a tour of the Burchfield Penney Art Center.

Putting the “Family” in Homecoming and Family Weekend
On Friday, September 24, Buffalo State stretches its arms wide to embrace its entire extended family. That’s the day when students’ families come on campus to put the “family” in Homecoming and Family Weekend 2010.

“We sent postcards to the families of new first-year and transfer students,” said Trish Dillenbeck, assistant director of orientation and new student programs, “and we’re following up with reminder phone calls. We also invited the parents during orientation.”

Students’ family members are invited to all homecoming events, with special family activities on Friday and Saturday evenings in the Campbell Student Union. On Saturday morning, parents of new students have been invited to join President Aaron Podolefsky for a pancake breakfast at the president’s house on Lincoln Parkway.

Alumni Connections
Friday evening, the Alumni Association will hold its annual Young Alumnus Achievement Award induction ceremony for this year’s awardees: Christopher Ciamaga, ’00; Erin Habes, ’03; Nicholas S. Laudico, ’01; and Martha Meegan, ’92, ’06.

Alumni are also invited to a Saturday pre-game tailgate party featuring a chicken barbeque with the fixings ($7 per person), a beer tasting, and desserts prepared by student chefs. All alumni are invited to stop by the tailgate tent to get a buy-one, get-one-free coupon to the game.

Homecoming and Family Weekend 2010 is a once-a-year opportunity for the newest members of the college’s family as well as its oldest alumni to celebrate their common bond, Buffalo State College. “We hope that today’s students will come back as alumni,” said Kelly Mazella, online community manager for Alumni Affairs, “and we hope that alumni will make homecoming part of their family tradition in the years to come.”

Related
View photo gallery: Homecoming/Family Weekend 2009