Las Vegas, N.M – This year’s Highlands University’s Homecoming festivities kick off Sept. 30 and continue through Oct. 9.
The theme for homecoming this year is Paint the Town Purple: Follow the Purple Brick Road.
Some highlights include the Oct. 8 homecoming parade at 9 a.m. and homecoming football game at 12 p.m. with the Cowboys taking on the Hardrockers of South Dakota School of Mines.
One new event this year is the Cowboy 5K Alumni Gallop and Trot at the Gene Torres Golf Course Oct. 8 at 7 a.m. followed by a Li’l Cowboy Stick Pony Trot for children ranging from infants in strollers to 7-year-olds.
“The Alumni Association is sponsoring the 5K and stick pony trot for the community,” said Juli Salman, alumni affairs coordinator. “This race is a fun and healthy way for our students to be more connected with the community and ties into our new campus initiative for the Outdoor Recreation Center.”
The parade route is also new this year, with it ending at the university’s John A. Wilson Complex parking lot on 9th Street rather than the historic Las Vegas Plaza.
“We think it’s fitting that the parade ends on our Highlands campus,” said Margaret Gonzales, campus life director. “We hope the community will embrace this new route and wanted to get the word out early.”
A community decorating contest begins Sept. 30. To enter, contact the Office of Alumni Affairs at 505-454-3248.
Highlands University’s Donnelly Library will celebrate its 50th anniversary during homecoming week with an Edible Book Festival Oct. 6 at the library. On Oct. 7 from 5 – 7 p.m., there will be a cocktail hour and silent auction to benefit Donnelly at the university’s historic Trolley Building, which has been transformed into a cutting-edge facility for the Media Arts and Technology Department.
The new homecoming parade route and a preliminary listing of homecoming activities are online at www.nmhu.edu/homecoming. The schedule will be updated with additional activities and information.
For more information about Highlands Homecoming 2016, contact the Office of Alumni Affairs at 505-454-3248 or the Office of Campus Life at 505-454-3590.