CEDAR CITY — Southern Utah University’s annual Homecoming Week celebrations, held the week of Sept. 21, are going to look a little different this year. While events like Forever Red and the Homecoming Parade are still on the schedule, all events will be socially-distanced, masks will be required and all alumni and community members will be invited to participate virtually.
“We love our alumni and our Cedar City community, but this year we are focusing on keeping our campus and community healthy,” Ron Cardon, SUU director of alumni relations, said in a press release from the university. “All of us here wish to thank you for allowing us to give our students the best homecoming experience possible, while following state of Utah health guidelines for physical distancing and contact tracing.”
To keep the campus community safe, faculty, staff, community, alumni and parents are invited to participate in the following homecoming events virtually.
For those that would like to share their SUU school spirit, SUU’s National Alumni Council is sponsoring a Decorate Your Space contest. All are welcome to decorate their space, whether it be a desk, room, door or yard. To enter the contest, post a photo of the decorated space on Facebook or Instagram by Friday and tag @SUUAlumni and use #SUUHomecoming.
In a combined event this year, Mr. & Miss SUU will be crowned Tuesday at 6 p.m. Watch live on SUU Alumni’s Facebook page. Mr & Miss SUU will proudly represent the university for the next year.
In conjunction with Homecoming Week, SUU’s A.P.E.X. Events is hosting David Lee, professor emeritus of English at SUU. Lee was Utah’s first poet laureate, and in 2001 he was finalist-runner up for United States Poet Laureate. He is the author of two dozen volumes of poetry, including “The Porcine Canticles,” “A Legacy Of Shadows,” “So Quietly The Earth,” “Last Call,” and “Mine Tailings.” Lee’s presentation will be streamed live on SUU Alumni’s Facebook page on Thursday at 11:30 a.m.
This year’s Forever Red event will be streamed live on SUTV-9 in a “Rockin New Year’s Eve” style broadcast for all alumni and community members. Hosted by SUU alumnus Rob Ferre, the broadcast will include performances from four stages as well as alumni highlights. It will conclude with the annual fireworks show. Tune in at online here on Friday from 8-10 p.m.
Last, but certainly not least, the annual Homecoming Parade will also be shown virtually with a live Shoebox Parade on Saturday at 10 a.m. With the theme of “A New Decade of Tradition,” the parade will feature shoebox floats decorated by students, alumni and clubs. Watch the live stream on SUU Alumni’s Facebook page.
“SUU is excited to celebrate the time honored tradition of Homecoming Week in a COVID-safe format,” the press release stated. “Alumni, community, family and university friends all share in the rich history of SUU and we thank you for honoring tradition and helping us celebrate in a safe and healthy way.”
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