Hope College to Celebrate Homecoming Weekend Oct. 13-15
Hope College will celebrate Homecoming Weekend on Friday-Sunday, Oct. 13-15, with highlights including multiple events open to the public in addition to activities for alumni.
The weekend will include a variety of academic and arts events, athletic contests, a 5K run, a family-friendly cookout, the dedication of the Leona M. and Jacob E. Nyenhuis Sculpture Garden, and activities ranging from a “Homecoming on 8th Street” event, to the 25-year reunion for the Class of 1992, to multiple affinity gatherings.
Ed Yong, author of “I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life,” and Dr. Jack A. Gilbert, who is co-author of “Dirt Is Good: The Advantage of Germs for Your Child's Developing Immune System,” will give a joint talk on Thursday, Oct. 12, at 7:30 p.m. in the Schaap Auditorium of the Jim and Martie Bultman Student Center. Gilbert will deliver an additional lecture, “Invisible Influence: The Microbiome and Human Health,” on Friday, Oct. 13, at 3 p.m. in Winants Auditorium of Graves Hall. Both presentations are through the college’s Dr. Harrison C. Visscher ’51 and Dr. Robert D. Visscher ’51 Lectureship in Genetics. Admission is free.
The exhibition “Distant Tracings // Tracing Distance: Claudia Esslinger with Tom Giblin” will open in the De Pree Art Center and Gallery on Friday, Oct. 13, and continue through Friday, Nov. 10. There will be an artist’s talk on Friday, Oct. 13, at 4 p.m. and an opening reception on Friday from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The gallery is open Mondays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free.
Hope and Calvin are hosting the 2017 Midwest Invitational volleyball tournament on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 13-14. On Friday, Hope will play Ithaca College at 4 p.m. and Ohio Wesleyan University at 6:30 p.m. On Saturday, Hope will play Kean University at 11 a.m. and Millikin University at 1 p.m. All of Hope’s games will be at the DeVos Fieldhouse. Tickets for the games at Hope are by the individual day, and cost $5 for adults and $3 for those 18 and under.
A “Homecoming on 8th Street” event center organized by the college’s Office of Alumni and Family Engagement will be open on Friday, Oct. 13, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Courtyard Marriott downtown. Alumni and their families will receive “passports” including a variety of exclusive deals for restaurants and shops in downtown Holland. The first 250 people to check in for the event at the Courtyard Marriott will receive a wristband that gives access to unlimited mini-doughnuts from the Doughrunts food truck near the event center that evening.
There will be a men’s alumni lacrosse game on Friday, Oct. 13, at 7 p.m. at Van Andel Soccer Stadium. Admission is free.
The college’s Department of Music will present multiple performing groups during a Homecoming gala concert on Friday, Oct. 13, at 7:30 p.m. in the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts. Admission is free.
Hope College Theatre is presenting “Human Error” by Eric Pfeffinger on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 5-6, and Wednesday-Saturday, Oct. 11-14, at 7:30 p.m. in the DeWitt Center studio theatre. Tickets are $10 for regular admission, $7 for senior citizens and Hope faculty and staff, and free for Hope students and children 18 and under.
The activities on Saturday, Oct. 14, will begin with a 5K run starting at 9 a.m. at Ray and Sue Smith Stadium. All proceeds will benefit the Hope College Dance Marathon, which raises funds for Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital. Registration is $30 for the general public, alumni, and faculty and staff, and $20 for Hope students and “miracle families” who receive care through the hospital.
There will be a women’s alumnae soccer game on Saturday, Oct. 14, at 9:30 a.m. at Van Andel Soccer Stadium. Admission is free.
The Hope College Sailing Club and Grand Valley’s club are hosting the Midwest Collegiate Sailing Association’s Single-Handed Qualifiers on Saturday, Oct. 14, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Macatawa Bay Yacht Club. Admission is free.
A campus cookout will be held on Saturday, Oct. 14, from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Phelps Hall Dining Hall. The event will feature a tailgate-themed menu with a variety of food options, the sale of Hope athletics apparel at the adjacent Maas Conference Center, giveaways and family activities. Tickets are $10 for regular admission; $5 for children of ages five to 11, Hope faculty and staff, and Hope students not on meal plan; and free for children four and under.
Women’s Soccer will host Kalamazoo College on Saturday, Oct. 14, at noon and Men’s Soccer will host Albion College at 2:30 p.m., both at Van Andel Soccer Stadium. Tickets, which will include both games, are $5 for adults and $3 for those 18 and under.
The Leona M. and Jacob E. Nyenhuis Sculpture Garden will be dedicated on Saturday, Oct. 14, from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Kruizenga Art Museum. Admission is free.
There will be a men’s alumni soccer game on Saturday, Oct. 14, at 4:30 p.m. at Van Andel Soccer Stadium. Admission is free.
The Flying Dutchmen will host Adrian College in football at Ray and Sue Smith Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 14, at 6 p.m. Tickets are $5 for adult general admission and $3 for general admission for those under 18.
Halftime will feature the introduction of the Homecoming Court and the crowning of the Homecoming king and queen.
Multiple Hope programs are co-sponsoring a one-woman, spoken-word performance of “The Gospel of John” by 2012 graduate Kelsey Cratty on Saturday, Oct. 14, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 15, at 3 p.m. in the Fried-Hemenway Auditorium of the Martha Miller Center for Global Communication. The presentation is a production of the Unbroken Bones theatre company, of which 2012 graduate Elizabeth (Dwyer) Champion is the artistic director, with 2013 graduate MacKenzie (Anderson) Lakatos serving as scenic designer and local stage manager. Admission is free.
A Homecoming worship service will be held on Sunday, Oct. 15, at 10 a.m. in Dimnent Memorial Chapel. The service will be led by the Hope Campus Ministries where everyone is welcomed.
Hope College Theatre in partnership with the college’s Latino Student Organization will explore immigration issues, particularly as they affect young people, through a staged reading of the play “Just Like Us” by Karen Zacarias on Sunday, Oct. 15, at 7:30 p.m. in Schaap Auditorium of the Jim and Martie Bultman Student Center. Admission is free.
The Kruizenga Art Museum is showing the exhibition “From Beyond the Stars: Innovation and Inspiration in Meiji Japanese Art” through Saturday, Dec. 16. The museum is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free.
The weekend’s multiple affinity gatherings include the 25-year reunion for the Class of 1992; a dinner hosted by the college’s Black Student Union, a Department of Nursing open house, an alumni luncheon hosted by the Baker Scholars, a retirement reception for longtime men’s golf coach Bob Ebels and a women’s soccer alumnae reception.
Advance registration, tickets for all events and a full schedule are available online or by calling the Office of Alumni and Family Engagement at (616) 395-7250.