ARKADELPHIA -- Henderson State University will celebrate homecoming on campus this week as the Reddies seek their first home win of the season against the visiting Tigers of East Central University on Saturday.
Homecoming week events will begin on Wednesday with a softball home run derby at 7 p.m. at Dee White Field. The Angelic Voices of Christ will close homecoming week on Sunday with a 10:45 a.m. performance at Greater Pleasant Hill Baptist Church.
"Homecoming is an opportunity for Reddies to connect with old friends and share their Reddie Spirit with others," Carrie Roberson, director of development and alumni, said. "We love to welcome our graduates and friends back to campus each fall.
"We are looking forward to celebrating with the Class of 1967 and starting some new traditions, like the Block Party, and continuing established ones, like our bonfire and the Henderson drumbeat."
Henderson junior Rebekah Smith, a special education major, and her fellow members of the homecoming court will be presented at 7 p.m. at Arkansas Hall. Events will include a torchlight parade.
"Homecoming allows you to see the impact that Henderson State University has had on its alumni," Smith said. "Seeing people coming back from all different walks of life simply because they went to Henderson -- that's when you can see the positive effect of the Reddie Spirit."
The top 10 will be announced after the presentation between Caplinger and Newberry Hall. A pep rally will follow and the Phi Lambda Chi homecoming drumbeat will start at 8 p.m. and continue until kickoff between the Reddies and Tigers at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
The Reddies boast a 4-3 record in the Great American Conference despite an 0-3 record at home, falling 26-3 to Arkansas Tech (5-2), 36-30 to Northwestern Oklahoma State (3-4) and 42-24 to Southern Nazarene (3-4). The Tigers are 1-6.
Henderson recently remained undefeated away from Ruggle Field at Carpenter-Haygood Stadium with back-to-back 1-point wins. The Reddies won 21-20 over the previously undefeated Southeastern Oklahoma State (6-1) last weekend after defeating Oklahoma Baptist (0-7) by a score of 14-13 the previous week. Henderson earlier won 37-14 at Northwestern Oklahoma State (3-4) and 28-20 at Harding (4-3).
Friday's slate includes a golf tournament at DeGray Lake Resort at 11 a.m., a banquet for the Black Alumni Chapter at 6:30 p.m. in the Martin B. Garrison Activity and Conference Center's Grand Ballroom and an alumni mixer hosted by the chapter at 9 p.m. in the Community Family Enrichment Center. The Homecoming Block Party will begin at 6 p.m. in downtown Arkadelphia.
Free entertainment will include the Dixon Road Band, featuring Henderson alumnus Greg Nation, and music provided by a DJ. Food trucks and drinks will also be available. The event is sponsored by Slim & Shorty's, located on Clinton Street between Sixth and Seventh streets.
"Homecoming gives alumni the opportunity to reconnect with their roots and return to the School with a Heart," Caylin Carson, a 2017 biology graduate from Benton, former homecoming member and now a student enrolled in the pharmacy program at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, said. "That's a very special thing, especially for recent graduates."
Homecoming day will begin with Alpha Phi Alpha's alumni breakfast at 8 a.m. in the Garrison Center Ross Room, the Golden Reddie brunch at 9 a.m. in the Banquet Room, and Heart and Key Alumni Reception at 9:30 a.m. in the Cabe Room. The pregame tailgate will open at 11 a.m. at the Duke Wells Complex and homecoming pregame activities will start at noon at Carpenter-Haygood. The Alpha Xi Delta balloon release is scheduled for 1:50 p.m. before kickoff.
The Greek Step Show is scheduled for 7 p.m. after the game in Arkansas Hall. Another alumni mixer will be hosted by the Black Alumni Chapter at 9 p.m. in the Community Family Enrichment Center.
Local on 10/17/2017