East Texas A&M University’s Homecoming celebration moves into its biggest events Friday and Saturday, with alumni and community members invited to campus for a weekend of activities culminating in Saturday’s Lions football game.
Amanda Lowe, director of alumni engagement at East Texas A&M, said alumni events begin Friday evening with Oktoberfest from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Alumni Center. The event, introduced last year, returns as part of a weekend that also includes alumni gatherings, live music and tailgating.
Saturday’s activities include a performance by the Emerald City Band beginning at 3 p.m. in the tailgate area, along with family activities and the President’s Alumni Tailgate.
Lowe said Homecoming remains an opportunity for former students to return to familiar places while seeing how the university and campus have changed.
“When they get here, it’s like they’ve never left,” Lowe said.
But the weekend isn’t limited to East Texas A&M alumni. Lowe said families and residents from across Northeast Texas are welcome to take part in the festivities, including those who may be making their first trip to a Lions football game.
For returning alumni, Lowe said buildings, students, athletics and even the university’s name may have changed since their time in Commerce, but much of what draws people back remains familiar.
“It’s that feeling you get when you pull into campus, you run into someone you haven’t seen in ages, introducing your family to the places that you have fond memories of,” Lowe said.
Lowe also shared that, in lieu of the typical homecoming golf tournament, Sand Hills golf course is offering discounted rounds from 11am to 2pm Friday for homecoming attendees.
Hear KETR’s conversation with Amanda Lowe about Homecoming, returning to Commerce and what visitors can expect this weekend in the audio above.
