Happy Homecoming! Here’s the hoedown lowdown on this year’s events

Happy homecoming, Beavers!

This week, we’re painting the town green and going all out for one of the best traditions on campus. The action starts today and goes until Sunday – hopefully with a victorious lake jump mixed in on Saturday.

This year’s “Bucky’s Hoedown” theme comes at the perfect time. We’ll be tailgating come high noon, hootin’ and hollerin’ at the football game, partying at the downtown shindig and much, much more.

Here’s all that we have in store.

Starting today, Monday, vote for your favorite storefront display in our Best BSU Spirit Contest on our Facebook page. The photo with the most likes by the end of the day on Wednesday will stand tall as the sheriff around these parts, and they’ll lasso a prize package to boot.

On Friday, join us for the Honors Gala – an annual celebration of Bemidji State’s distinguished alumni, President’s Society donors and Legacy Society members. This homecoming tradition has been around for more than 50 years and promises to go off without a hitch again this fall.

For more information about the Honors Gala, click here.

Also on Friday, cheer on our volleyball team inside the BSU Gymnasium as they take on the Cougars of Sioux Falls. The action kicks off at 6 p.m., and you can buy your tickets here.

Saturday is going to be a Wild West kind of day, and you won’t want to miss a thing.

Game Day Experience, a revamped version of Community Appreciation Day, opens homecoming Saturday with food, games and fun on the front lawn of Decker Hall. The area will be packed with food trucks, local businesses and more, and we want you there as a way to say thank you for your support of us and the Bemidji community.

Football tailgating will fill Diamond Point Park from 12-2 p.m., and we’ll get ourselves ready for the big game happening next door by grilling some ‘dogs and tossing a pigskin or two.

The football game kicks off at 2 p.m., and it’s going to be an edge-of-your-seat kind of showdown. Bemidji State hosts Minnesota State in a battle of two national championship contenders, and the stakes are as high as can be. Click here to buy your tickets, because we need you there to cheer BSU on to victory!

And speaking of victory, a homecoming win ensures another dip into Lake Bemidji for our Beavers. One of the best college football traditions takes place at one of the most beautiful settings in the country, proving it’s a match made in heaven and one you won’t want to miss.

Finally, polish your cowboy boots and assemble your ensemble for the evening’s entertainment, happening in downtown Bemidji with the annual street dance. The music starts at 8:30 p.m., so grab your partner and be ready to swing them ‘round and ‘round.

Homecoming weekend concludes at 3 p.m. on Sunday with the annual Carl O. Thompson Memorial Concert. Wrap up this year’s hoedown with the most melodious side of homecoming.

For the complete Homecoming schedule, click here. We can’t wait to see you out there!