2013 Homecoming set to begin at SFA

The annual Stephen F. Austin State University Homecoming celebration begins Friday, Oct. 18 and runs through Sunday, Oct. 20. 

The weekend festivities begin Friday morning at 11 a.m. with the SFA Alumni Golf Tournament at the Piney Woods Country Club. Entry fee is $150 and includes tournament play, cart, refreshments, box lunch and post-tournament hors d’oeuvres. The entry deadline is Monday, Oct. 15.

Join SFA alumni at Nine Flags Bar and The Patio at Hotel Fredonia from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. for the Homecoming weekend “Back in Nac” social event. Enjoy complimentary lumberjack-themed appetizers, purple beer and cocktails, drink specials, live music, a photo booth, and much more. Attendees are encouraged to wear purple.

There will be a free shuttle service from the hotel to the bonfire for those who wish to attend. The shuttle will begin at 8:15 p.m. in front of the hotel and run every 30 minutes. The last shuttle will leave the bonfire at 10:30 p.m. and return to the hotel.

The traditional Friday night events begin with the Alumni Legacy Dinner and Reception at 6 p.m. at the Hotel Fredonia. The dinner will honor Francis “Ab” Abernethy ’49 and the late Hazel Abernethy ’48 & ’72 and will feature a live auction, the announcement of the winner of the $10,000 Benefit Drawing ticket, and special recognition of the Class of 1963 reunion attendees. Live auction items include: Dinner with the SFA President, Naming Alumni Drive, SFA Garden Stone, Hand Carved Sitton Duck and Wine, Dinner and Stay at Hotel Fredonia.

In addition to the live auction, this year will feature the 2nd annual Homecoming Online Auction. The online auction will feature highly rated items and activities to bid on. The online auction began on Oct. 3 and will run through Oct. 20. Please visit www.biddingforgood.com/sfahomecoming to view and bid on your favorite auction items. Featured are items like a one-of-a-kind custom Lumberjack bobblehead, SFA boots, destination getaways and travel packages, beautiful artwork, jewelry, gift cards, unique SFA items, sports tickets, autographed sports memorabilia, and more.

Following the Legacy Dinner, attendees can relocate to the SFA Statue on campus to walk in the Torchlight Parade at 8:30 p.m. and meet at the Intramural Fields for the bonfire and pep rally.

The Homecoming fun resumes Saturday morning with the 5th annual Lumberjack Homecoming Certified 5K beginning in the parking lot behind the Schlief Tennis Complex. Pre-registration is available online at www.active.com/running/nacogdoches-tx/lumberjack-homecoming-5k-2013.

The Class of 1963 Reunion Breakfast begins at 7:30 a.m. in the Hotel Fredonia Convention Center in downtown Nacogdoches.

Alumni and friends also are invited to a pre-parade Alumni Coffee at 9 a.m. in the lobby of Hotel Fredonia. Onlookers will line the downtown streets for the 10 a.m. Homecoming parade that will feature colorful floats, marching bands and individual entries.

After the parade, the action moves to Alumni Corner for some pre-game tailgating, held on the corner of Raguet and Hayter streets. Tailgating begins at noon and ends at 2:30 p.m.  Alumni Corner tickets are free for Alumni Association members, $10/non-members, children ages 10 and under accompanied by an adult are $5 and children younger than five eat free.  The ‘Welcome Back to the Pineywoods’ menu will consist of carved herb roasted pork loin with Dijon white wine sauce, roasted potatoes, green beans, whole baby carrots, hot dinner rolls, and cake for dessert.

The Homecoming Alumni Corner will once again feature the Suddenlink “Bundle U” Viewing Lounge and the Junior Jacks Kids Zone, where kids can enjoy bouncers, face stickers, hair painting and other fun games for free. The first 100 kids who go to the Junior Jacks Kids Zone will receive a free SFA Homecoming T-shirt. The Junior Jacks Kids Zone is sponsored by Nacogdoches Pediatric Dentistry and Little Jacks Pediatrics.

At noon, hundreds of yellow rubber ducks will race at the Ag Pond for more than $2,600 worth of prizes in the 23rd annual Duck Dash.  Proceeds from the Duck Dash go to the SFA Alumni Scholarship Fund administered by the SFA Alumni Association.  Ducks may be sponsored for $5 each or six ducks for $25.  Ducks may be sponsored until Oct. 18.

The annual football game, the highlight of Homecoming weekend, is set for 3 p.m. at Homer Bryce Stadium, as the SFA Lumberjacks take on the Nicholls State Colonels.  General admission tickets are $12 and are available by calling (936) 468-JACK, online at www.sfajacks.com or at the gate on game day.

Thank you to the following homecoming sponsors: Lumberjack Spirit Level; Daily Sentinel, Hotel Fredonia, Legends/Lumberjack Lofts, Little Jacks Pediatrics, Nacogdoches Pediatric Dentistry and Sign-a-rama. Timber Level; America’s Self Storage, Urgent Doc and Liquor Mart. Axe Level; Allstate Insurance – The Bagley Agency, Pineywoods Media Works, Simpson Realty, St. Mary’s Catholic Student Center and Party-N-Things. Homecoming Partner Level; SFA Campus Rec, FedEx, Liberty Mutual, MyPlates.com, Nacogdoches CVB, Piney Woods Country Club, R&K Distributors, Suddenlink, Jack Backers College Bookstore and ShopSFA.com.

For more information about Homecoming events, contact the SFA Alumni Association at (936) 468-3407, (800) 765-1534 or visit www.sfaalumni.com/event/Homecoming2013. Payment for event tickets, benefit tickets and Duck Dash sponsorships may be purchased online at www.sfaalumni.com/event/Homecoming2013 or in person at the Tracie D. Pearman Alumni Center on the SFA campus.