Sovi Herring | Staff Writer
Oct. 13, 2022
Duquesne celebrated its annual homecoming weekend on Friday and Saturday, attracting strong crowds of supporters and fresh faces to encounter.
The festivities began on Friday, with families of students and alumni attending various events such as class reunions and luncheons.
As part of the homecoming theme, the class of 1972 celebrated its 50th anniversary. For some, it was their first time on campus in decades.
Richard King, a sociology major from the class of 1972, was “overwhelmed with the changes on a great campus.” King participated in the weekend’s events with his college friends and their families. He told freshmen to “keep the faith” when encountering challenges at school.
On Saturday, the events that attracted the usual student crowds gathered in preparation for the homecoming football game.
AutumnFest on Academic Walk hosted various student organizations fundraising for causes and club events for the semester.
While students, alumni and family members walked around A-Walk and the family fun zone, the Fire Dancers kept a crowd of their own.
The team of four held their show with traditional Hawaiian music, storytelling and fire dancing. The two primary dancers made onlookers feel a bit colder than the weather, as they watched their traditional garb flow in the wind and their bare feet stomp on the concrete.
Several lucky people were welcomed onstage to learn the basic moves of the hula, causing an uproar of laughs and cheers.
Of the student organizations on campus, most had a large turnout with alumni that were former members, as well as recent alumni who were looking to help. The crowd that walked to and from booths were covered in face paint, spray painting pumpkins and carrying various souvenirs from each table along the way.
The Encore Show Choir (ESC) on campus “got a lot of support from former members and lovers of the arts,” according to president Kylie Snellbaker.
Stephanie Cairns, a member of the ESC, said that kids loved the game they had, and that their raffle was successful.
As the AutumnFest on A-Walk ended during the third quarter of the football game, the organizations packed up their booths and the crowds retreated to the bleachers.