After some events were canceled last year because of hurricanes, the Homecoming Committee is looking forward to a full week’s worth of events.
At 9 a.m. Monday, Oct. 27, Homecoming King and Queen voting begins on PAWS, said Katie Gonsoulin, the Kings and Queens chair for the Homecoming Committee.
Voting ends Friday at 5 p.m. and the King and Queen will be presented with their court at halftime of the LSU v. Louisiana Tech game on Saturday.
Here is a listing of the week’s events:
Monday: Purple and Gold Games
The week’s festivities begin today with the Purple and Gold games on the Parade Ground at 4 p.m. The theme is “beach party” and Purple and Gold Games coordinator Meryn Allen, a nursing senior, said the games are designed to be crazy, fun relay games.
Allen encouraged students to come dressed in their best beach party attire.
“You don’t have to be athletic or physically fit to compete in them,” said Allen. “It gives people an excuse to act like a kid again.”
Tuesday: Lip Sync Contest
The Union Theatre will be rocking Tuesday at 7 p.m., as the fourth edition of the Homecoming Lip Sync contest kicks off. Student organizations registered last month and were allowed to pick a song out of a hat to perform on stage.
Kristen Hode, an elementary education junior and the Lip Sync contest coordinator, said it is up to the group to decide exactly how they want to “perform” the song.
Hode said a panel of judges will score each act on things such as accuracy of style, choreography, costumes and creativity.
“It’s a great way for students to come together and basically strut their stuff,” Hode said. “You could kind of consider Lip Sync the song and dance portion.”
Wednesday: Run Around Scavenger Hunt
The scavenger hunt portion of the Homecoming events begins Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Union Ballroom.
Sarah Nunley, the Run-Around coordinator and a biological sciences senior, said participants will be given a list of 250 items to collect for the scavenger hunt.
Nunley said the scavenger hunt groups receive points by locating the 250 items and receive extra points for answering 150 trivia questions.
The Run-Around requires pre-registration, but supporters are welcome to enjoy other festivities such as ’80s music karaoke.
Thursday: The Tiger Experience, Pep Rally/Concert
The Tiger Experience was canceled last year because of hurricanes, but Rhonda Bengtson, assistant chair of competition events for the Homecoming Committee, said this year’s will be better than in the past.
Starting with food and games in front of the PMAC at 5 p.m., the festivities move inside for the pep rally at 7 p.m. and free concert at 8 p.m.
Bengtson said the pep rally will feature athletes, the Tiger Band, cheerleaders, free food and a yell contest.
“The pep rally is basically for everyone to show up and get pumped up about Homecoming,” said Eric Guerin, a Homecoming Committee member.
Following the pep rally is a free concert by Better than Ezra, who originated in South Louisiana and some of whose band members attended LSU.
“Homecoming is all about coming back to your school,” Guerin said. “We’re excited that former students are coming back to perform for us.”
Friday: Friday Fright Fest/Can Drive
Friday boasts a competition can food drive and a Halloween carnival.
Bengtson said the food drive was expanded greatly this year to include a “Friday Fright Fest,” in accordance with Halloween.
Set in Free Speech Alley from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Friday Fright Fest includes free red beans and rice and drink, and music from KLSU.
Kenneth West, the Friday Fright Fest/Battle of the Cans chairman, said the event will feature activities such as a pumpkin decorating contest, a scream contest, a costume contest and a pumpkin pie eating contest.
“The plan is to have a Halloween atmosphere,” Bengtson said.
West said the Battle of the Cans, which begins at 2 p.m., gives student organizations an opportunity to help fight hunger as well as earn points for Homecoming.
“Last year 15,000 cans were collected despite the bad weather,” West said. “This year we expect to collect 20,000-plus cans.”
The Battle of the Cans ends at 6 p.m.
Saturday includes the decorations competition in which fraternities and sororities as well as churches and other student organizations decorate their front yards to be judged by the Homecoming Committee. The Homecoming parade runs through campus.
For more information about homecoming or its events, check out the homecoming committee’s Web site at www.lsu.edu/homecoming/.