Homecoming 2017: Celebrating the Past, Present, and Future

Homecoming weekend at Frostburg was filled with good friends, good food, and good fun. Past and present Bobcats celebrated together, making new lasting memories while reminiscing about the old. The office of Alumni Relations started Saturday with the Alumni Welcome Center. Alumni were greeted by a welcome table where they could update their contact information and enter themselves into a drawing for a 2-night hotel stay for 2018 Homecoming and two $50 gift cards for the University Bookstore. At the same table, there were free sunglasses and chapstick.

The event provided free refreshments, such as donuts, coffee, and hot chocolate. For the alumni with children, there was a coloring station available where the kids could color a Frostburg related picture, have it hung up, and possibly win a stuffed version of Bob E. Cat. The event allowed alumni from a wide array of years to catch up with old friends and classmates as well as meet other alumni. There was a table that showcased yearbooks from previous years. The yearbooks went as far back as 1937. It was fascinating to see the people who attended Frostburg 80 years ago this year.

The homecoming festivities continued Saturday night at Late at Lane. The homecoming dance became an integrated part of Late at Lane this year and it made for an energetic atmosphere. The theme for Late at Lane this month was Oktoburgfest, based on the German holiday Oktoberfest. There were many things to do at Late at Lane and plenty of new things to experience.

In Atkinson, there were two different shows that could be seen. Dueling Pianos consisted of two men taking requests of any random songs and being challenged to know it and play it together. They had two performances during Late at Lane and the crowd couldn’t seem to get enough of them. The other performer in Atkinson was Speed Painter Ricardo. He painted detailed portraits of Tom Petty, Gandhi, and Chance the Rapper all in roughly five minutes each. The crowd was hyped up for Ricardo and his mix of painting and break dancing. Levi Stephens performed on the Loft Stage. His performance was very relaxed and it gave people a chance to take a break from the rest of the busy event. After Stephens’ performance, there was a Text War Game Show where the audience could interact and participate in the show.

Oktoburgfest had two options for make and takes. There was an opportunity to make your own beer stein and decorative hats. Lane was full of people wearing colorful hats and carrying personalized beer steins. The beer steins seemed to be a crowd favorite as the line was always long and everybody wanted one. In addition to the make and takes, there were escape rooms. Escape rooms are puzzles in which a group is given a certain time limit and have to figure out how to escape. There were many things happening at this Late at Lane, including amazing food and prizes to be won in a drawing.

There were four different things that could be won in the drawing. There was a Beats Pill, a Fitbit set, a 43” TV, and a Frostburg pack that consisted of a few things from the school store. There are always drawings at Late at Lane. Everyone who comes in the door gets three tickets to put into the drawing for any of the prizes. The winners were drawn at 12:15. The food offered at Late at Lane were all types of food that might be seen at an official Oktoberfest celebration. There were pretzel bites with beer cheese, reuben sliders, beer brats, chicken schnitzel, German ale barbecue meatballs, candied bacon, and Bavarian cream cupcakes. The food was authentic and everybody seemed to enjoy it. There were alcoholic beverages, as well as soda being sold for one dollar. If you bought alcohol or a soda, there was an opportunity to get an Oktoburgfest pilsner glass before they ran out. The glass serves as a reminder of Oktoburgfest and Frostburg Homecoming 2017.

Frostburg Homecoming 2017 was an exciting time full of reminiscing of old memories and making new ones. Both alumni and current students enjoyed the homecoming events. Homecoming is a great time for past and current students to come together and think about how much Frostburg has changed over the years. Frostburg is a living institution that adapts and changes with time. Homecoming is the perfect time to celebrate this and everything Frostburg has accomplished, as well as everything the Frostburg community, past and present, has accomplished.