Special homecoming week begins at CSC

Most of the events will occur Saturday, Oct. 1, when the football team takes on the Colorado State-Pueblo ThunderWolves in a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference clash at 1:30 p.m. From the 5k run at 8 a.m. Saturday morning Oct. 1, to the fireworks display that night, organizers says there will be something for all ages to enjoy.

Many entries are expected to join the parade at 10 a.m. Saturday. To help mark the significance of this year, the parade route is being reversed to run from north to south, ending at the CSC campus, where a pregame festival with food and family-friendly activities is scheduled on the Dean’s Green. The event will include campus tours and historical exhibits. Also, live eagles from the Raptor Education Foundation will be on display.

As part of the pregame festivities, the college plans a 12:30 p.m. dedication ceremony for three new campus features that will long symbolize the centennial year. They are a new bronze sculpture east of Old Admin, and the new Centennial Flag Plaza and campus entrance portal north of the building. While the plaza has been complete for much of the fall, workers have been installing the lettering for the entrance portal at 10th and Main this week and the sculpture is scheduled to arrive on campus Wednesday to be placed prior to the weekend. The sculpture, titled “The Muses,” features three nearly life-sized human figures stretched toward the sky, representing art, science and sport – the essence of the educational experience and a balanced life. Artist David Alan Clark was commissioned to create the piece.

The Eagles’ volleyball team will be home for three matches during homecoming week – Tuesday vs. South Dakota Mines at 7 p.m., Friday vs. Regis at 7 p.m. and Saturday vs. Metro State at 7 p.m. Also, the specially formed CSC Centennial Alumni Band is performing a concert Saturday night in the Nelson Physical Activity Center at 8 p.m.

This week, of course, will feature many traditional activities, such as the lighting of the C at C Hill. The community is invited to see the college’s new electrical lighting of the Chadron landmark with the ceremony at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the west side of Old Admin.

The week’s activities also include the spirit rally at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. That event will include the announcement of homecoming royalty and bed sheet decorating contest winners. On Friday, at 6 p.m., members of the football team will join the community for an ice cream social at 6 p.m.

Also, community members and businesses are being asked to enter a contest of CSC spirit by decorating their yards and storefronts.

Also, the Chadron State Foundation’s annual gala and board of trustees dinner, which required reservations, will be Friday night. The annual event will help the college celebrate its first 100 years and its success in the Vision 2011 fundraising campaign.

Many other alumni receptions, gatherings and other activities have been planned. To view the full schedule, visit the centennial link of the CSC website.