The University of Maine at Presque Isle will present Homecoming 2023:Spirit Week + Alumni, Friends, and Family Weekend from Sept. 11 to 17, featuring sporting events, the Snowy Owl Marketplace, Unexpected Food Fest, a performance by the Presque Isle Community Players, and much more! The full schedule of events can be found at www.umpi.edu/alumni/homecoming.
The theme for this year’s event is “EXPECT Connections.” Festivities will again include Spirit Week
activities, with a different theme each day between Sept. 11 and 15: Blue Day, Gold Day, Major Day, UMPI Sport Day, and Memories Day. All are encouraged to post photos on social media and use the “#umpispiritweek2023” hashtag.
On Monday, Sept. 11, festivities will kick off with Lawn Games and a Spirit Spin all day at the Campus Center (rain location: Owl’s Nest).
On Tuesday, Sept. 12, Preble Hall will have an Open House from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Refreshments will be provided. All day, there will be Lawn Games and a Spirit Spin at the Campus Center. At 3 p.m., instructor Cheri Ouellette will lead a Glass Resin Art Workshop; limited to 15 participants, must be 14 or older. RSVP to Marteen Hester, marteen.hester@maine.edu.
On Wednesday, Sept. 13, Gentile Hall will have an Open House from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Refreshments will be provided. From 6-8 p.m., Bingo will be held in the Campus Center Multi-Purpose Room (MPR). Prizes will be available and concessions will be provided by the UMPI Golf team.
On Thursday, Sept. 14, South Hall will have an Open House from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Refreshments will be provided. The UMPI Women’s Basketball team will host a Spaghetti Supper fundraiser from 4:30-6:30 p.m. in the Campus Center MPR. There also will be a 50/50 raffle. Cost is $8 per person. A Homecoming Social hosted by UMPI, Momentum Aroostook, and the City of Presque Isle will take place at the Nordic Heritage Center from 5-7 p.m. Food and a cash bar will be available (21 or older with proper ID). That evening, the Student Activities Office will host a Lip Sync Battle at 7 p.m. in the MPR.
On Friday, Sept. 15, There will be two open houses: the Center for Innovative Learning and Reed Art Gallery will have an open house from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. and Wieden Hall will have one from 3-6 p.m. Refreshments will be provided. UMPI’s Student Activities Office will host a Punch and Paint event from 2-4 p.m. in the UMPI Clubhouse (Campus Center Room 112). The State of the University Address will take place at 4 p.m. in the Gauvin Family Center for Cultural Arts. UMPI President Ray Rice and Alumni President Evan Zarkadas will give a Homecoming weekend welcome including University updates and upcoming news. There will be an Unexpected Food Fest from 5-7 p.m. in the lawn area near Wieden Hall. Festivities include food, beer garden (21 or older with proper ID), games, and live music by Aroostook Sky. At 7 p.m., in Wieden Hall, the Presque Isle Community Players will present The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at the Gauvin Family Center for Cultural Arts. Tickets are $15. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
On Saturday, Sept. 16, the Snowy Owl Marketplace returns to Gentile Hall from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. with a full slate of crafters, artisans, and more. Open houses will be held at the Campus Center and the Zillman Family Greenhouse from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Refreshments will be provided. From 10 a.m.-12 p.m., there will be Molly the Trolley historical tours across campus, led by tour guide Kimberly Smith. The meeting location is the Campus Center circle. An Alumni Social featuring the Classes of 1973, 1998, and 2013 will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Owl’s Nest. The Cross Country North Atlantic Conference Preview will take place at the Park Family Field; there will be a Women’s 6K race at 11 a.m. and a Men’s 8K race at 12 p.m. Also on the Park Family Field, the UMPI Owls will play NVU Lyndon in back to back soccer games—the Women’s team plays at 11:30 a.m., the Men’s team at 2 p.m. There will be a Dedication of Benches in Memory of Aaron Marston and Patrick Baker at 4 p.m. (immediately following the Men’s soccer game), adjacent to the soccer field. That evening, the Hall of Fame Dinner takes place in the Campus Center MPR; social starts at 5:30 p.m., buffet dinner at 6 p.m., followed by the program at 6:45 p.m. There will be a cash bar (21 and older with proper ID). Tickets are $35 per person. For more information about this event, contact Sandy McDougal at 207-768-9506 or sandra.mcdougal@maine.edu. At 7 p.m., in Wieden Hall, the Presque Isle Community Players again will present The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at the Gauvin Family Center for Cultural Arts. Tickets are $15. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Also that evening, there will be a bonfire, complete with s’mores and lawn games, behind Merriman Hall from 7-9 p.m.
Festivities cap off on Sunday, Sept. 17 with a 5K and athletic games. Alumni Soccer games will take place at Park Family Field; men play at 10 a.m. and women play at 11:30 a.m. The UMPI Alumni and All-Comers XC 5K takes place at 11 a.m. at the Park Family Field. Same day registration and accepted donations take place inside the fence at the course starting line. At 1 and 3 p.m., UMPI Women’s Volleyball takes on UMFK in Wieden Gym.
For more information about Homecoming 2023, contact Lydia Kieffer-Till at (207) 768-9502 or lydia.kieffer@maine.edu.
