Though it still feels like the school year is just getting started, Homecoming Week is just around the corner. With at least one event every day from Sunday through Saturday, it’s hard not to get excited for the annual celebration.

Beginning on Sunday, October 8 with the Homecoming Kickoff, this event will consist of students breaking off into groups to decorate the entire campus in preparation for the week. Sidewalks will be chalked, banners will be hung, doors will be decorated and an ice cream party to top off the event. Currently this event is planned for 2 p.m. and will begin on the Anderson patio. Representatives from student organizations should plan on attending, as chalk provides some great free advertising for your organization.

Monday, October 9 will feature a free T-shirt giveaway at 5:30 p.m. in the Anderson Forum. Shirts will be available in limited quantity, so make sure you arrive early! The next day, October 10, students will have an opportunity to decorate their clothing with their Piper Pride. Supplies will be provided free of charge, and the event will be taking place in Anderson 304 at 6 p.m. Wednesday, October 11 will switch focus from the crafty to the competitive in the campus wide glow stick scavenger hunt. To make things more interesting, the hunt will be team-based with teams carrying out the hunt while simultaneously competing in a three-legged race, for amazing prizes The starting location has yet to be decided, but the event will be taking place at 9 p.m..

Thursday, October 12 will shift back to an art-focus with a fine arts competition. The specific criteria and due date for submissions is still not finalized, though it is known that submissions will need to be appropriate and devoid of harsh language. The art will be on display and winners will be chosen by a panel of judges, with a fourth winner being selected as a student’s-choice winner. The winning art will be displayed on the Hamline University website and at the Big Bash event. Winning artists will also receive a cash prize.

The annual lip-sync competition will be held on Friday, October 13 starting at 8 p.m. Students are invited to register for this event and be prepared to perform a lip-syncing routine on stage in front of their fellow Pipers. Lip-syncers will be judged on a variety of criteria, including originality, crowd reaction, appearance, and overall ability to lip-sync.

The main events occur on Saturday, October 14, and include the Piper Rally, the Homecoming Game, the Big Bash and the Homecoming Dance. First on the docket, at 11 a.m. on Alumni Way, there will be games, artists, food and fun during the Piper Rally. This is all in preparation for this year’s Homecoming Football Game, which starts at 1 p.m. against Concordia. Following the game, from 5 p.m., students will be invited to enjoy food, live music and drinks at the Big Bash in Anderson. Wine and craft beer will be served for those who are 21 and over. Many specifics in regards to what kind of food and music will be provided are still being sorted out, but students can be assured that it will be one of the  highlights of Homecoming. After the Big Bash, the week will be wrapped up with the Homecoming Dance, which students are encouraged to attend as it is sure to be a blast.

This year’s Homecoming theme is Throwback to 1967, 50 years ago. Students can expect decorations, music and references throughout the week to reflect the theme. Also important to note is the return of Homecoming Royalty. Nominations are currently going on for the 2017 Homecoming Royalty, so students should be thinking of who they want to nominate based on their showing of school spirit and Piper Pride. Royalty will have the pleasure of enjoying dinner at President Fayneese Miller’s house.

This year’s Homecoming Committee is very determined to making Homecoming Week fun for every student in some way.

“I think it will be very rewarding once Homecoming rolls around, and we see students having fun and connecting with each other. It creates a great sense of community,” One of this year’s lead Homecoming planners, Senior Sam Lindquist, said.

The week isn’t just about the alumni coming back, it’s not about the football game, and it’s not just about the dance. It’s about the Hamline community, new and old, coming together and enjoying a week of fun with one another.