{"id":55662,"date":"2026-10-01T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/?p=55662"},"modified":"2026-09-29T13:44:23","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T18:44:23","slug":"tarleton-state-prepares-for-homecoming-week-oct-11-17","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/tarleton-state-prepares-for-homecoming-week-oct-11-17\/","title":{"rendered":"Tarleton State Prepares for Homecoming Week Oct. 11-17"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Excitement is building as Texans far and wide prepare for another Tarleton State University Homecoming Week Sunday, Oct. 11 through Saturday, Oct. 17. This year\u2019s celebration will bring together students, alumni, families and friends for a week centered on traditions, community and the shared spirit of Tarleton State.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWelcoming our alumni, family and friends \u2018home\u2019 is a wonderful way to celebrate our past and honor our lifetime traditions at Tarleton State,\u201d said Tarleton Alumni Association President Ed Gonzalez. \u201cWe look forward to providing a meaningful and joyful experience to all who pass through the gates of our beloved university.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/65\/2026\/10\/Homecoming-Band.jpeg\" alt=\"Band marches in 2025 Homecoming parade.\" class=\"wp-image-55667\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.500029668308313;width:372px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/65\/2026\/10\/Homecoming-Band.jpeg 900w, https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/65\/2026\/10\/Homecoming-Band-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/65\/2026\/10\/Homecoming-Band-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/65\/2026\/10\/Homecoming-Band-600x400.jpeg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The week begins with the Memorial Homecoming 5K and Lighting of the Smokestack, featuring a live performance by Tarleton State students and rising country musicians Texoma Outlaws. Throughout the week, students and alumni can look forward to the Launching of the Ducks, Yell Contest and more rich traditions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Festivities will conclude with the Homecoming Parade, the football game against the University of Central Arkansas and the crowning of Mr. &amp; Mrs. TSU. Applications to participate in the parade remain open through Friday, Oct. 9 via the <a href=\"https:\/\/forms.cloud.microsoft\/pages\/responsepage.aspx?id=OOZeLGOpwEmsJoKN2beNXre-GjeoyBJJrbKqrVtVciFUOThBSFJGQVg1RE9INUZMMVUwUzBESkVNNy4u&amp;route=shorturl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">online form<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTarleton State Homecoming is a fantastic time of year when current and former Texans gather to embrace each tradition that makes this institution special,\u201d said Student Body President Maddy White. \u201cTraditions such as the L.V. Risinger Memorial Bonfire and Purple Pancakes have been in place for decades and continue to impact students, faculty and alumni. Texan spirit runs strong at Tarleton State, and we cannot wait to witness Homecoming 2026.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Texan spirit is not confined to the Stephenville campus, either. Several Homecoming events are set for Tarleton State\u2019s Fort Worth, Waco and Bryan campuses, including Launching of the Ducks and Purple Thursday.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For a complete Homecoming Week schedule and live updates, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/homecoming\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">tarleton.edu\/homecoming\/<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Excitement is building as Texans far and wide prepare for another Tarleton State University Homecoming Week Sunday, Oct. 11 through Saturday, Oct. 17. This year\u2019s celebration will bring together students, &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1084,"featured_media":55663,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","wds_primary_category":382,"footnotes":""},"categories":[382,424,425,421],"tags":[432,442,446,456,457],"class_list":["post-55662","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-homepage","category-arts-events","category-campus-community","category-featuredstories","tag-alumni","tag-community-events","tag-division-of-student-engagement-success","tag-stephenville","tag-tarleton-state-fort-worth"],"acf":{"image":false},"author_meta":{"display_name":"jdouglas","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/author\/jdouglas\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/65\/2026\/09\/Homecoming-Overview-300x200.jpeg","coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/category\/homepage\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">_Homepage<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/category\/arts-events\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Arts &amp; Events<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/category\/campus-community\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Campus &amp; Community<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/category\/featuredstories\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Featured Stories<\/a>"],"unlinked":["<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">_Homepage<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Arts &amp; Events<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Campus &amp; Community<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Featured Stories<\/span>"]},"tags":{"linked":["<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/category\/featuredstories\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Alumni<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/category\/featuredstories\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Community Events<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/category\/featuredstories\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Division of Student Engagement &amp; Success<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/category\/featuredstories\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Stephenville<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/category\/featuredstories\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Tarleton State Fort Worth<\/a>"],"unlinked":["<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Alumni<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Community Events<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Division of Student Engagement &amp; Success<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Stephenville<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Tarleton State Fort Worth<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":0,"relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 8 hours ago","modified":"Updated 2 days ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on October 1, 2026","modified":"Updated on September 29, 2026"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on October 1, 2026 10:00 am","modified":"Updated on September 29, 2026 1:44 pm"},"featured_img_caption":"","series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55662","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1084"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55662"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55662\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55668,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55662\/revisions\/55668"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55663"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55662"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55662"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55662"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}