Celebrate your Lumberjack spirit! Northern Arizona University prepares for its first virtual Homecoming celebration dedicated to the Class of 2020 to honor their perseverance and accomplishments. Festivities begin Nov. 2 with most events culminating over the weekend from Nov. 5-7.
The week, organized in part by the Blue Key Honor Society, offers various student, alumni and community events held on Zoom, including a chat with alumni, trivia night, a virtual parade and the annual Alumni Awards ceremony.
Though in-person events have been sidelined, the organizers are not letting that get them down.
“We know many things have been cancelled this year, but we did not want Homecoming to be one of them,” said Kevin Gemoets, director of Student Life and co-chair of the Homecoming committee. “We are excited that this is a great opportunity for alumni and others from all over the word to be able to celebrate. In-person events require, well, being in-person and this year, regardless of where you are, you can celebrate!”
“I am excited that we will be able to reach more participants and viewers for the parade this year because it is being broadcasted virtually,” said Ashleigh Bogart, vice president of the Blue Key Honor Society. “Being able to include more alumni and off-campus organizations in the parade is something Blue Key Honor Society has always wanted to do.”
Gemoets said that within one brainstorming session at a committee meeting, they all had come up with enough ideas for two weeks’ worth of events.
“We have an amazing committee made up of people from different areas of the university who have come together to make this happen,” Gemoets said. “They all are great at what they do which has made this a really smooth transition to virtual.”
“The team has been amazing in working together to create a virtual Homecoming,” Bogart said. “I am personally looking forward to seeing all the events being successful and interactive.”
Check out the schedule below for event times, how to get involved and registration information. For those unable to attend any of the events or those who want more Lumberjack spirit, follow the NAU Social blog for ideas and preview the week’s exciting events in this promo video.
Monday, Nov. 2
- Class of 1970 Virtual Homecoming Coffee Chat, 9:30-10:30 a.m.—Join the class of 1970 in a casual get-together over Zoom to celebrate the 50th year of their homecoming. Catch up with fellow grads, discuss and celebrate NAU! RSVP to the event webpage for login information. Questions or reasonable accommodation requests due to a disability should be directed to executive assistant of Alumni Engagement Megan Connolly by emailing Connolly@nau.edu or calling (928) 523-6360.
Thursday, Nov. 5
- ASNAU virtual concert for students, 7 p.m.—ASNAU presents AJR in a virtual concert. More details are forthcoming. Visit the Homecoming webpage for the latest information.
Friday, Nov. 6
- Lumberjack Family Game Night, 5:30 p.m.—Grab your favorite snack and put on your thinking cap to participate in a virtual trivia night where your knowledge on a variety of topics will be challenged. Play individually or with other members of your household to compete for prizes and the chance to be crowned this year’s NAU Homecoming Trivia champs. Prizes will be awarded to the most spirited fans, so dress to impress by donning your Lumberjack blue and gold. This event is free and open to all members of the NAU community. Sign up by visiting the trivia night event webpage.
Saturday, Nov. 7
- Homecoming Parade, 11 a.m.—Keep the tradition of the annual Homecoming Parade alive! Alumni, donors, friends of NAU and student organizations are invited to reserve a spot in the virtual parade by creating a video/picture online submission or by building a physical shoebox float to drop-off at the Information Desk at the University Union. Video clips should be 30-45 seconds long and include information about the organization being represented and its relations or contributions to NAU. The parade will be broadcast to all NAU students, alumni and the Flagstaff community. View the Off-Campus Organization application or the On-Campus Organization application for detailed requirements. For an updated link to view the parade, visit the Homecoming webpage.
- Virtual Alumni Awards Ceremony 2020, 4 p.m.—Honor the success of distinguished NAU graduates in a black-tie virtual event that includes interactive elements in a “Live from the Blue Carpet” pre-show leading up to the ceremony. NAU’s @NAUAlumni on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram will post throughout the week with words from past winners and opportunities to meet this year’s honorees. At noon on Saturday, the pre-show event will begin where the hosts wind down the minutes before the final ceremony starts. Visit the Alumni Awards Ceremony page for additional information and to learn about the 2020 honorees.