Axe ’Em, Jacks!
Homecoming bonfireNACOGDOCHES, Texas - The annual Stephen F. Austin State University Homecoming Celebration titled "Storybooks and Fairytales - Where Your Story Begins!" will be held Friday, Oct. 24, through Sunday, Oct. 26.
The weekend festivities will begin at 11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 24, with the SFA Alumni Golf Tournament at the Piney Woods Country Club. The entry fee is $150 per team, which includes tournament play, golf cart rental, refreshments, box lunch and post-tournament hors d'oeuvres.
This year will feature the third annual SFA Alumni Association Homecoming Online Auction, which will run Thursday, Oct. 9, through Sunday, Oct. 26. Please visit www.biddingforgood.com/sfahomecoming to view and bid on your favorite auction items. Featured items include sports memorabilia signed by Nacogdoches soccer legend Clint Dempsey, a football signed by Houston Texans J.J. Watt, a custom SFA Yeti Cooler, destination getaways and travel packages, artwork, jewelry, gift cards, unique SFA items, sports tickets, and much more.
Tee up for the Lumberjack Homecoming Disc "Frisbee" Golf Tournament at Pecan Park. The shotgun start is scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24. The format will be doubles/best shot, and prizes will be given to the winner of each division. Prizes include SFA gear, local coupons and more. Proceeds raised will benefit the Dr. Raymond Lee Worsham Scholarship.
The 2014 Homecoming Torchlight Parade will begin at 8:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24, at the "Surfin' Steve" statue located on SFA's campus. The parade will conclude at the SFA Intramural Fields with the bonfire, pep rally, fireworks and Bart Crow Band concert. The Alumni Association will be on hand passing out 3-D fireworks glasses, so be sure to stop by the association's purple tent.
Homecoming fun resumes at 8 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 25, with the Flap "Jack" Breakfast in front of City Hall in downtown Nacogdoches, 202 E. Pilar St. Enjoy a Lumberjack breakfast from 8 to 10 a.m. with a buffet of flapjacks and special toppings. Kids also can enjoy pancake decorating, coloring books, and photos with the SFA Lumberjack and Ladyjack mascots and other spirit team members. Flapjacks are free for Homecoming 5K runners, and all flapjacks will be cooked by the Nacogdoches Kiwanis Club. Cost is $6 per person.
Be sure to lace up your running shoes for the fifth annual Lumberjack Homecoming Certified 5K. The race will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 25, in the parking lot behind the Schlief Tennis Complex. Pre-registration is available online at www.OneStopRace.com.
Following the 5K and Flap "Jack" Breakfast, the official Homecoming Parade will begin at 10 a.m. in downtown Nacogdoches. Spectators can line the downtown streets to experience SFA's Lumberjack pride displayed through colorful themed floats, music and pageantry.
At the conclusion of the parade, the action will move to Alumni Corner for pre-game tailgating. Alumni Corner is located at the intersection of Raguet and Hayter streets, in front of the Janice A. Pattillo Early Childhood Research Center. Tailgating will begin at noon and will end 30 minutes prior to kickoff. Tickets are free for Alumni Association members; $15 for non-members; and $5 for children 10 and younger. Children younger than 5 eat free. All children must be accompanied by an adult.
The Homecoming Alumni Corner will once again feature the Suddenlink "Bundle U" Viewing Lounge and the Kids Zone, where kids can enjoy bouncers, face and hair painting and other fun games for free. The first 100 kids who go to the Kids Zone will receive a free "Future SFA Alumni" T-shirt. The Kids Zone is sponsored by Nacogdoches Pediatric Dentistry, Little Jacks Pediatrics, Party 'N Things and Hettie Legg & Associates.
At noon, hundreds of yellow rubber ducks will race at the SFA Ag Pond for more than $1,750 worth of prizes in the 24th annual Duck Dash. Proceeds from the Duck Dash go to the SFA Alumni Scholarship Fund administered by the SFA Alumni Association. Ducks may be sponsored for $5 each or six ducks for $25. Ducks may be sponsored until Friday, Oct. 24.
The annual football game, the highlight of Homecoming weekend, is set for 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25, at Homer Bryce Stadium. The SFA Lumberjacks will take on the Lions of Southeastern Louisiana University. General admission tickets are $12 and are available by calling (936) 468-JACK, online at www.sfajacks.com or at the gate on game day.
The Alumni Association would like to thank the following Homecoming sponsors:
Alumni Corner Partners: Liberty Mutual, Jack Backers College Bookstore, Perry-Ellis Kia, Tutor Doctor, University Rental, Suddenlink, ShopSFA.com, America's Self Storage and Mail Center, Austin Bank, Law Office of Tim James and Sean Hightower, and Citizens 1st Bank;
Lumberjack Spirit Level: Nacogdoches Pediatric Dentistry, The Daily Sentinel and Little Jacks Pediatrics;
Purple Haze Level: Kiwanis Club of Nacogdoches, R&K Distributors and Urgent Doc;
Timber Level: Liquor Mart and Simpson Real Estate - Olivia Kling, realtor;
Axe Level: City of Nacogdoches Main Street, The Donut Palace, Nacogdoches Area United Way, PineyWoods Media Works and St. Mary's Catholic Campus Ministry; and
Homecoming Partner Level: Party 'N Things, Piney Woods Country Club and SFA Campus Rec.
For more information about Homecoming events, contact the SFA Alumni Association at (936) 468-3407 or visit www.sfaalumni.com/