Homecoming off to a great start!
Inclement weather can’t hold Concordians back.
Despite the threat of rain over the weekend, more than 1,500 people attended outdoor activities offered as part of Homecoming 2010, which began September 23 and wraps up this coming Sunday.
Hundreds of enthusiastic Concordians walked, ran or pushed strollers as part of the 21st Concordia Shuffle last Friday, an event where participants walk 6.5-km between the Sir George Williams campus to Loyola campus (see companion slide show below).
The annual fundraiser got rolling with Virgin Radio 96 on-air personalities, Cousin Vinny (Barrucco) and Tony Stark, pumping up Shufflers. Concordia President Judith Woodsworth, who provided a send-off, said the Shuffle has raised more than $900,000 since its debut and has provided 375 students with scholarships and bursaries. This year’s event raised an additional $40,000.
Saturday belonged to the Department of Communication Studies, which celebrated its 45th anniversary. More than 200 alumni packed the Homecoming Tent at the Loyola campus to enjoy cocktails and reconnect with former classmates, friends, staff and faculty members.
Brian Lewis, Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science, singled out some of the better-known alumni such as Barry Julien, who just picked up his second Emmy as a member of The Colbert Report writing team, as well as filmmaker Kevin Tierney. Attendees also had a chance to bid adieu to Professor Dennis Murphy, who’d been with the department for 40 years.
The weekend culminated with Family Fair Day, one of Concordia’s most enduringly popular Homecoming events, which did not fail to impress. Some 1,500 people attended and sampled more than a dozen family-friendly activities.
Many participants enjoyed the carnival atmosphere. “We’re here today for our kids and the activities,” said Concordia graduate Marie-Michelle Johnson. “This is the third time we’ve come.”
Johnson’s husband André Francoeur, his hands full with son Tayeb, 2, and daughter Megan, 5, said the fair stood head and shoulders above other family activities. “No other university does anything like this,” he said.
Cupcake-making, science experiments, soccer matches, puppet shows, magician’s tricks, unicyclists and a percussion band, among other activities and spectacles, engaged just about everyone under billowing tents or the open sky.
“We simply could not be having a better day out than today—rain or no rain,” said Jennifer Martin, a Notre-Dame-de-Grâce resident and mother of two boys, both six. “After a day on the bouncy-castles, they’ll both sleep soundly tonight.”
Upcoming Homecoming events include the Sports Halls of Fame Induction Ceremony and Banquet (by invitation only) tomorrow, the Engineering and Computer Science presentation Hit the Books (open to all), as well as its alumni reunion cocktail on Saturday.
The President’s Reunion Brunch and Campus Tours (by invitation only), held next Sunday, will officially cap Homecoming 2010.