Grove City College celebrates Homecoming 2023 this weekend on campus and in the streets of Grove City.
“There’s No Place Like Homecoming” is the theme of the College’s annual alumni extravaganza. Homecoming is marked by class reunions, milestone celebrations for Greek groups and campus organizations, alumni awards, the parade, and the big game.
“We’re excited to be welcoming more than 3,000 alumni to campus for Homecoming 2023, which promises to be a fun and exciting weekend for returning Grovers, our students, and families who make up the Grove City College community,” said Melissa (Trifaro ’96) MacLeod, senior director of Alumni and College Relations.
“This year we’re emphasizing the ‘home’ in Homecoming because the College really does feel like home for students, alumni, parents, and friends. Homecoming at Grove City College is epic, and we try so very hard to make it impactful and memorable each year for everyone who participates. We want people to make new memories here during Homecoming,” she said.
The weekend is packed with events and activities for alumni, guests, students, and the public across campus. Special events are planned for class reunions and groups celebrating anniversaries, including fraternities Adelphikos (110th), Nu Lambda Phi (100th), and Sigma Alpha Sigma (65th), and the Outing Club (85th), and Young Life (50th). This year also marks the first ever Alumni Pickleball tournament.
Friday, Sept. 29, features campus tours for prospective legacy students, a Touring Choir sing-along reunion with Doug Browne, retired director, and his wife Susan, an Alumni 5K race, and the annual Jack Kennedy Memorial Alumni Achievement Awards, which recognize the outstanding achievements of select College alumni. This year’s awardees are Laura (Tarkett ’85) Blumberg; Dr. David M. Hoganson ’98; Robert L. Hunter ’63; Hon. David J. Porter ’88; and Dennis R. Reidenbach ’76. They will be honored at 7p.m. in Harbison Chapel during a ceremony that is open to the public.
Amid a flurry of activity and events on Saturday, Sept. 30, is the Homecoming parade featuring the Wolverine Marching Band, high school bands, campus organizations, and video-game themed floats created by Grove City College’s fraternities, sororities, and housing groups. The parade kicks off at 11 a.m. at the Physical Learning Center and moves through campus and down Pine and Broad streets to the Carnegie Alumni Center. The parade and commentary will be livestreamed at gcc.edu/livestream.
At 2 p.m., the Wolverine football team will face off against Presidents’ Athletic Conference rival Washington & Jefferson College at Thorn Field on campus. The pre-game show, in which float awards are presented, begins at 1:15 p.m. The half time show features the crowning of the Homecoming queen and king and the College marching band. The game and ceremonies will be livestreamed.
Throughout the weekend, a special exhibit at the College Gallery in the Pew Fine Arts Center, “The Way I See It: The Photography of Joe Barrett, featuring the GCC Alumni & Friends Travel Program” will welcome visitors to explore travel destinations around the world. Gallery hours are 4 to 8 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
The weekend concludes with a worship service at 10 a.m. in Harbison Chapel on campus with a message from alumnus Rev. Jim Kilmartin '98, pastor of Center City Church, Altoona, Pa.
For a full schedule of Homecoming 2023 events, visit alumni.gcc.edu.