Homecoming events begin Sunday and culminate on Saturday, November 3, when the football Vols take on Troy in Neyland Stadium. Kickoff is at noon.

Veterans activities

UT veterans and their families are invited to campus for the third Veterans Reunion, a homecoming event held every five years.

“Your Service—Our Freedom” is the theme of the reunion, sponsored by the Office of Alumni Affairs. Events on Friday, November 2, and Saturday, November 3, include a luncheon, a Veterans Recognition Dinner, and a tailgate party.

To see a full list of events and to register online to attend, visit the UT Knoxville Alumni Association website. Contact the Office of Alumni Affairs at 865-974-3011 or by e-mail at reunions@utk.edu for more information.

Homecoming highlights

The annual Homecoming parade will begin at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, November 2. It starts at the Rock and travels east on Volunteer Boulevard. The grand marshal is Chamique Holdsclaw, former Lady Vol basketball star who went on to play for the WNBA with the Washington Mystics, the Los Angeles Sparks, the Atlanta Dream and the San Antonio Silver Stars. Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek and UT System President Joe DiPietro also will ride in the parade. Veterans and Little Vols are invited to participate.

The signature event of Homecoming—the annual Party in the Park—begins at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 3, in Circle Park. Admission is free and there will be live entertainment, cheerleaders, music, door prizes, and children’s activities. The World’s Largest MoonPie will be cut at 10:00 a.m.

Morrill Act plaque dedication

Cheek, DiPietro, and Institute of Agriculture Chancellor Larry Arrington will unveil a historical marker commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Morrill Act during Ag Day on Saturday, November 3. The plaque dedication is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. outside the Ellington Plant Sciences building, near the intersection of Joe Johnson and E. J. Chapman drives.

The Ag Day street fair will be held from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and feature a petting zoo, a cricket-spitting contest, and appearances by Smokey and Charlie, the television personality of Farm Bureau Insurance. For more information, visit the Institute of Agriculture website.

For more information about Homecoming activities, as well as details about making reservations for events that require them, see the Alumni Association’s Homecoming website.

Additional homecoming activities include:

Sunday, October 28

• Anything Goes, a variety of field games for students, 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. at Fiji Island.

Monday, October 29

• Soapbox Derby, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. along Volunteer Boulevard near Stokely Athletics.

Tuesday, October 30

• 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament, 4:00  to 10:00 p.m. in the HPER Bubble.

Wednesday, October 31

• Smokey’s Howl, a spirit competition for student organizations, 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. in Thompson-Boling Arena.
• Talent Show, 7:00 p.m. in the University Center Auditorium.

Friday, November 2

• Pep Rally and Smokey’s Howl finals, 6:00 p.m. in Thompson-Boling Arena.
• Homecoming Comedy Show featuring Lav Luv, Nema Williams, and Sean Larkins, doors open at 7 p.m. and show starts at 7:30 p.m., at the Bijou Theater. Sponsored by the Black Cultural Programming Committee and Office of Multicultural Student Life, this show features three comedians who have appeared on BET’s Comic View. For ticket info, see knoxvilletickets.com.
• Friday Night Live at the Square Comedy Show featuring UT alumna Leanne Morgan, 7:30 p.m. at the Square Room on Knoxville’s Market Square. Reservations required.
• Alumni discount at the University Bookstore in the University Center, 8:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Alumni receive a 20 percent discount on all Volunteer Shop regularly priced merchandise.

Saturday, November 3

• Pre-Game Faculty Showcase, 10:00 a.m. in the University Center Ballroom. It will feature David Reidy, head of the Department of Philosophy, who will present “The Authority of Citizens: Its Nature and Limit.”
• African-American Hall of Fame induction, 10:00 a.m. at the Black Cultural Center. This year’s inductee is Jane S. Redmond, who retired from UT in 2008 after a twenty-six-year career. She has served as assistant vice chancellor for student affairs, director of the Office of Multicultural Student Life, director of the Women’s Center, and interim chairperson for the Commission for Blacks.
• The Office of Admissions’ “Continue the Tradition: Tips for Alumni and Legacies,” 10:30 a.m. in McClung Museum Auditorium.
• Thirteenth Annual Southeastern Stomp Fest, 7:00 p.m. at Knoxville Civic Coliseum. Purchase tickets at Tickets Unlimited locations or call 865-656-4444.

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C O N T A C T :

Amy Blakely (865-974-5034, ablakely@utk.edu)

Kickoff for the Volunteers’ game against the Rebels of the University of Mississippi is scheduled for 12:11 p.m. ET. Gates open at 10 a.m. CBS Sports will televise the game.

Game Day Activities

The traditional Vol Walk will start on Volunteer Boulevard, just east of the intersection with Lake Loudoun Boulevard. The walk will begin at 9:45 a.m. and will proceed down Volunteer Boulevard, past the Torchbearer statue, then down Peyton Manning Pass, then left onto Phillip Fulmer Way.

The band will begin its march to the stadium at 10:20 a.m. at the intersection of Pat Head Summitt Street and Volunteer Boulevard and will proceed down Volunteer Boulevard, past the Torchbearer statue, then right on Andy Holt Avenue, then right onto Phillip Fulmer Way. The band will briefly pause in front of the new amphitheater for its traditional salute to The Hill, then continue to the stadium.

Fans can attend the College of Arts and Sciences’ Pregame Faculty Showcase, now in its 21st year. Held two hours before each home game kickoff in the University Center Ballroom, the showcase is a free 30-minute presentation by a UT faculty member, followed by a 15-minute question-and-answer session. This week, Soren Sorensen, professor and head of the department of physics and astronomy, will present a talk titled “Nature’s Legos: The Building Blocks of the Universe.”

The Volunteer Village commercial display area will be open on the lawn of the Humanities and Social Sciences Building from 8:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Also on display at Volunteer Village this season is the UT Zero Energy House prototype, created by a team of UT Knoxville faculty and students to demonstrate environmentally sustainable design.

To commemorate Veterans Day, a fly-over of Neyland Stadium will be conducted by a military aircraft from the 134th Air Refueling Wing, stationed at the McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base adjacent to the Knoxville airport. The aircraft, a KC-135 in-flight refueler, will fly over the stadium at the end of the national anthem prior to the start of the game. The crew members are Lt. Col. Gary Smith, Capt. Justin Wilson and Senior Master Sgt. Michael Buckner.

Homecoming Events

Homecoming will be celebrated across campus, with many colleges and academic departments hosting gatherings for their alumni and student organizations engaging in relays and challenges that highlight UT spirit.

A statue of legendary Vols coach Gen. Robert Neyland will be dedicated at 2:30 p.m. Friday near stadium gates 16 and 17. A section of Phillip Fulmer Way will be closed during the event.

At 4 p.m. Friday, Grand Marshal and UT System President-elect Joe DiPietro will lead the campus parade from the Rock, at the corner of Volunteer Boulevard and Pat Head Summitt Street, east on Volunteer toward Neyland Stadium. DiPietro will assume the duties of president on Jan. 1, 2011.

Party in the Park, a large tailgate, will be held in Circle Park starting at 9 a.m. Saturday. Members of the pep band and cheerleading squad will be on hand as fans enjoy music, door prizes, face painting and games for kids. The tailgate is free and open to the public. Attendees can even take part in helping eat the world’s largest MoonPie, to be cut at 10:45 a.m.

For more information on Homecoming events, visit http://www.utk.edu/tntoday/2010/11/08/homecoming-2010/.

Stadium Security

This season, UT Athletics has introduced a fan text messaging system. The system allows fans to request immediate assistance from event management and security personnel through a text message.

From a personal cell phone, fans can text the location and details pertaining to an incident, including the section, row and seat number, to 69050. The fan then will receive acknowledgement of the message, and stadium staff, security or emergency personnel will be alerted and respond to the site. Standard text messaging rates will apply, based on the provider.

UT reminds visitors that all items, including purses, are subject to search at the gates. Certain items remain prohibited inside the stadium, and those items cannot be stored at any stadium gate.

Prohibited items include the following:

• alcoholic beverages, cans, bottles or coolers
• radios without headphones
• open umbrellas
• video cameras
• stadium seats with arms
• large bags or parcels, including backpacks and large purses
• weapons of any kind, including pocketknives

Fans are allowed to bring the following items inside the stadium:

• cushions and seats without arms
• diaper bags that accompany infants
• small cameras, pagers, cell phones and binoculars

Under state law, no smoking will be allowed anywhere inside the gates of Neyland Stadium. No one inside the gates will be allowed to leave and then be re-admitted.

A no-fly zone extends over the stadium from one hour before the game until one hour after it ends, prohibiting flights within a three-nautical-mile radius and lower than 3,000-feet altitude, except as authorized by air traffic control.

Solicitation near stadium gates and along Phillip Fulmer Way is prohibited.

Only fans with permits can park on campus. UT encourages fans to use shuttle buses from the university’s Kingston Pike building, the Knoxville Civic Coliseum, the Old City and Market Square areas of downtown Knoxville and Farragut High School in West Knoxville. Limited public handicapped parking spaces and handicapped shuttle service to the stadium are available on the UT Agriculture Campus, off Neyland Drive.

Many area hotels also offer shuttle service to the game. Check with your hotel’s management for details.

For those driving on campus, Peyton Manning Pass, Middle and Lower Drives, Estabrook Drive and Phillip Fulmer Way from Middle Drive to Tee Martin Drive will be closed 30 minutes before kickoff. Directional parking will be used in Area 9 and Lots 4, 5A and 5B.

For more information on game day parking, including a map of campus parking areas, visit http://web.utk.edu/~pso/athletic.php.

Select individual game tickets are available at http://www.uttix.com.

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C O N T A C T :

Jeff Maples (865-974-3061, maples@utk.edu)

Brian Browning (865-974-3061, brian-browning@utk.edu)

Charles Primm (865-974-5180, charles.primm@tennessee.edu)

Homecoming’s anchor event, the Volunteers’ football game against the Ole Miss Rebels, begins at noon Saturday. A limited number of tickets are still available to those registering for Homecoming events requiring advanced registration. After registering online for those events, attendees will receive a confirmation e-mail with instructions on how to purchase football tickets.

At 4 p.m. Friday, Grand Marshal and UT System President-elect Joe DiPietro will lead the campus parade from the Rock, at the corner of Volunteer Boulevard and Pat Head Summitt Street, east on Volunteer toward Neyland Stadium. DiPietro will be sworn in on Jan. 1, 2011.

All week student organizations will engage in relays and challenges that highlight UT spirit. Fraternities, sororities and student associations will earn points for finishing in the top three of each contest as they vie for the Madge Harrison Trophy, which will be presented to the winning group during halftime of Saturday’s football game. For more on student events, visit http://homecoming.utk.edu/images/HC_events11x17.pdf.

Saturday’s Party in the Park begins at 9 a.m. and will bring Vol fans together for tailgating in Circle Park. Members of the pep band and cheerleading squad will be on hand as fans enjoy music, door prizes, face painting, games for the kids and more. Attendees can even take part in helping eat the world’s largest MoonPie, to be cut at 10:45 a.m.

Also included in the festivities is the university’s first official ring ceremony on Tuesday, Nov. 9. Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek and deans from each college will present undergraduate students who have achieved at least 60 credit hours and graduate students who have achieved at least 20 credit hours with their official rings. Rings feature images of the Power T, Ayres Hall, the Torchbearer statue and the UT Knoxville seal and checkerboard. The first 500 rings ordered will feature a special engraved number signifying that they are the very first official UT rings. For more information, contact the Office of Alumni Affairs at 865-974-3011.

Additional events include:

Thursday, Nov. 11

• UT National Forensic Academy Demonstration for alumni — 6-8 p.m. Requires advance registration.

Friday, Nov. 12

• Alumni Night @ the University Bookstore — 8:30 a.m. – 8 p.m., University Center. Use the code word “Alumni” to receive a 20 percent discount on all Volunteer Shoppe regularly priced merchandise. Discount valid only on Friday, Nov. 12.
• Daily Beacon Open House and Buffet — 1-4 p.m., Daily Beacon office, 5 Communications Building.
• UT National Forensic Academy Demonstration for alumni — 3-5 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. Requires advance registration.
• Homecoming Parade — 4 p.m., beginning at the Rock and traveling east on Volunteer Boulevard.
• College of Social Work Annual Homecoming Gala — 6 p.m., Rothchild Catering and Conference Center. Requires advance registration.
• Homecoming Concert 2010 Big Boi featuring Vonnegut — 8 p.m., Knoxville Civic Auditorium. Tickets are available at all Tickets Unlimited locations or by calling 865-656-4444.

Saturday, Nov. 13

• College of Engineering Annual Alumni Homecoming Barbecue — 9 a.m., courtyard of Ferris and Perkins halls. $12 per adult; $8 per child. Requires advanced registration.
• College of Education, Health and Human Sciences Tailgate and BBQ — 9 a.m., Claxton Courtyard (corner of Andy Holt & Volunteer). $12 per adult; $8 per child. Requires advanced registration.
• College of Law Barbecue — 9 a.m., College of Law front patio. $15 per person. Requires advance registration.
• College of Communication & Information Open House — 9-11 a.m., Communications Building lobby. Tour renovated areas of the school and meet with faculty.
• Party in the Park — 9:30-11:30 a.m., Circle Park. $12 per adult; $8 per child. Requires advance registration.
• Homecoming Football Game — noon, Neyland Stadium. UT vs. Ole Miss. Crowning of Miss Homecoming and trophy presentation at halftime.
• Baker Center Open House — 9 a.m., Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy.
• 21st anniversary Pre-Game Showcase — 10 a.m., University Center Ballroom. “Nature’s Legos: The Building Blocks of the Universe,” featuring Soren Sorensen, head of the department of physics and astronomy.
• Daily Beacon Open House and Buffet — 1-4 p.m., Daily Beacon office, 5 Communications Building.
• 11th Annual Black Cultural Center Festival — noon, Black Cultural Center.
• Office of Student Orientation and Leadership Development Student Orientation Assistant/Orientation Leader Reunion — 6 p.m. or following the game, Calhoun’s on the River. $30 per adult; $15 per teen ages 13-18; $10 per child ages 6-12; free for children 5 and under. Requires advance registration.
• 11th Annual Southeastern Stompfest — 8 p.m., Knoxville Civic Auditorium. Sponsored by the Black Cultural Programming Committee. Tickets are available at all Tickets Unlimited locations or by calling 865-656-4444.

For more information about Homecoming events, including those that require advance registration, visit the Office of Alumni Affairs’ Homecoming website.

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C O N T A C T :

Abbey Taylor (865-974-9409, ataylo30@utk.edu)

From the traditional Friday afternoon parade to the pre-game Party in the Park, all members of the UT community can celebrate UT traditions at events for all ages. Homecoming’s anchor event will be the Volunteers’ football game against the Memphis Tigers at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7. A limited number of football tickets are still available to those registering for Homecoming events. After registering online, attendees will receive a confirmation e-mail with instructions on purchasing football tickets.

At 4 p.m. Friday, Grand Marshal and legendary bluegrass musician Bobby Osborne will lead the campus parade from the Rock, at the corner of Volunteer Boulevard and Pat Head Summitt Street, east on Volunteer towards Neyland Stadium. Osborne is perhaps best known to UT fans for the Osborne Brothers’ 1967 recording of “Rocky Top.”

Also on Friday, UT will celebrate 140 years of the Pride of the Southland Marching Band at an event featuring the band at 5:30 p.m. at the Knoxville Marriott.

Friday Night Live at the Square will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Square Room on Market Square and feature nationally known comedienne — and UT alumna — Leanne Morgan and Wendel Werner, director of the UT Singers, who will offer his own humorous history of rock ‘n’ roll.

Saturday’s Party in the Park will bring past, present and future Vol fans together for tailgating at 4 p.m. in Circle Park. Members of the pep band and cheerleading squad will be on hand as fans enjoy music, door prizes, face painting, games for the kids and more.

Student organizations will engage in a week-long competition, with relays and challenges that highlight UT spirit. Fraternities, sororities and student associations will earn points for finishing in the top three of each contest as they vie for the Madge Harrison Trophy, which will be presented to the group with the highest overall total during halftime of Saturday’s football game.

Registration is required for some activities and the deadline for the larger weekend events is Monday, Nov. 2. Online registration for the Pride of the Southland Band celebration, Friday Night Live at the Square, Party in the Park and more is available here.

Additional events include:

Sunday, Nov. 1

• Anything Goes — 5:30 p.m., Fiji Island. Students participate in games and relays.

Monday, Nov. 2

• 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament — 4 p.m., HPER. Student teams.

Tuesday, Nov. 3

• Soapbox Derby — 3:30 p.m., Volunteer Boulevard in front of Stokely Athletic Center.

Friday, Nov. 6

• WUTK and College of Communication & Information Alumni Reception — 6 – 9 p.m., Patrick Sullivan’s in the Old City.
• Homecoming Kickoff Show — 7 p.m., Knoxville Civic Auditorium. Sponsored by the Black Cultural Programming Committee. Features comedians Bruce Bruce, Dominique and Steve Brown. Tickets are on sale at the UT Central Ticket Office and at Tickets Unlimited. Tickets for UT students, which include admittance to Saturday’s step show, are $22. Tickets for the general public are $17 and do not include other events.
• The Knoxville Wine Down — 7 p.m., SOBU Restaurant & Lounge, 6213 Kingston Pike. Sponsored by the Black Alumni Council. Tickets are $20 per person and include admittance to the Black Alumni Party at 9 p.m.
• Black Alumni Party/Homecoming After Party — 9 p.m., SOBU Restaurant & Lounge, 6213 Kingston Pike. Sponsored by the Black Alumni Council. Tickets are $10 per person at the door. Admission is free with the purchase Knoxville Wine Down tickets.

Saturday, Nov. 8

• Daily Beacon Open House and Buffet — 3 p.m., Daily Beacon office, 5 Communications Building.
• Army ROTC Picnic — 3 p.m., Knoxville Marriott. The suite reopens approximately one hour after the football game ends.
• College of Engineering Annual Alumni Homecoming Barbecue — 4 p.m., courtyard of Ferris and Perkins halls. $12 per adult; $8 per child.
• College of Communication & Information Open House — 4 – 6 p.m., Communications Building lobby. Tour renovated areas of the school and meet with faculty.
• College of Law Barbecue — 4 p.m., College of Law front patio. $15 per person.
• 20th Anniversary Pre-Game Faculty Showcase — 5 p.m., University Center Ballroom. “Germs and Geology: Emerging Issues in Waterborne Pathogen Research,” featuring Larry D. McKay, Jones Professor of hydrogeology and head of the Earth and Planetary Sciences department.
• 10th Annual Black Cultural Center Festival — noon, Black Cultural Center.
• Homecoming Football Game — 7 p.m., Neyland Stadium. UT vs. Memphis.
• 10th Annual Stompfest — 8 p.m., Knoxville Civic Center. Sponsored by the Black Cultural Programming Committee. Tickets are on sale at the UT Central Ticket Office and at Tickets Unlimited. Tickets for the general public are $17. Tickets for UT students, which include admittance to Friday’s Homecoming Kickoff show, are $22.
• Black Alumni Reunion — 9 p.m., Jubilee Banquet Hall, 6700 Jubilee Center Way. Join the Kappa Chi Chapter of the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, the Black Cultural Programming Committee, the Pi Epsilon Chapter of the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority and the class of 1989 as we unite for one celebration. $15 per person.

Sunday, Nov. 9

• Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Farewell Gathering Brunch and Program — 11 a.m., Panhellenic Building.
• Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Farewell and Recognition Lunch — 1:30 p.m., Mt. Olive Baptist Church. Lunch will immediately follow the 10:45 a.m. worship service. Sisters are invited to meet at the Black Cultural Center at 10:20 to carpool to the church.

For more information about Homecoming events, including registration and R.S.V.P. details, visit the Office of Alumni Affairs’ Homecoming Web site.

Additional details on events sponsored by the Black Alumni Council, Black Cultural Programming Committee and the Black Cultural Center also can be found on the Minority Student Affairs Web site. Details on UT student events can be found on the All Campus Events Web site.

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C O N T A C T :

Rebekah Winkler, (865-974-8304, rwinkler@utk.edu)