STEVENS POINT – You can celebrate the Pointer spirit Oct. 21 as the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point offers Homecoming and Family Day with something for all of the “Top Dawgs.”

Family fun will be offered at the Homecoming Hotspot from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Goerke Park in Stevens Point. Activities will include:

·         Native American invocation and drums

·         Live rock and country music from Brad Emanuel

·         Alumni and organization reunions

·         Food trucks, including Stevie’s

·         UWSP STEM Shuttle – Hands-on science activities

·         College showcases

·         Inflatable games and face painting

·         Axe throwing

·         Homecoming giveaways, while supplies last

·         UWSP merchandise for sale

·         Pointer Pep Band and mascot Stevie Pointer

The Pointers football team takes on the UW-River Falls Falcons at 1 p.m. at Goerke Field. Tickets can be purchased at the gate that day.

Planetarium programs will run hourly on Saturday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., except for the noon hour. Shows will be held in the Allen F. Blocher Planetarium on the second floor of the Science Building and are free and open to the public.

Schmeeckle Reserve will offer free canoeing and kayaking on Lake Joanis from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Visitors Center will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., offering free snacks and beverages. Free guided tours of the reserve will be offered at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

During the week, student activities will include cake decorating, a game of pool “Battleship,” bubble soccer, a 5K, bed races, bingo and a comedian/mind reader performance.

Alumni members of the Black Student Union and Black Student Coalition will meet for a reunion on Oct. 20. Register at https://give.uwsp.edu/events/black-student-union-reunion-registration.

Alumni and friends of the swimming and diving program will gather Oct. 20 and Oct. 21 to recognize and celebrate the renaming of the Red Blair Memorial Pool. See https://athletics.uwsp.edu/sports/2021/8/4/swimming-alumni.aspx for details.

On Oct. 22, join current students from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. for a community-wide clean-up led by the UWSP Student Government Association. Email [email protected] for information.

The 2023 Alumni Award recipients will also be honored Oct. 21:

·         The Trailblazer Award winner is Christine Russell, ’07, director of health and wellness programs at the Foundation for Black Women Wellness.

·         The Mary Ann Nigbor Volunteer of the Year Award winner is Peter Crawford, ’74, interim executive director of the UWSP Foundation.

The Distinguished Alumnus Award winners are:

  • Marsha Lindsay, ’74, CEO and chief analyst for Linsey Foresight and Stratagem
  • Richard T. Ballering, ’95, vice president of production for ABC Signature
  • Andrea Anders, ’97, actress, writer and producer for film and television

The Lifetime Achievement Award winner is Christine Thomas, ’79, dean emerita and professor emerita for the UW-Stevens Point College of Natural Resources.

For more information, go to https://give.uwsp.edu/homecoming.