Homecoming week at Columbus State University kicks off Monday and includes a full slate of student and alumni activities, including tailgating, a football game, live music, games, a parade and fireworks.

The party kicks off Monday at lunchtime with a live band made up entirely of CSU faculty, staff and administrators. The “Cougar Lounge Band,” will perform during a new Homecoming event called “Lock in Your Legacy” from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. around the clock tower on CSU’s main campus.

The band’s members include: CSU Provost Tom Hackett on lead guitar, business professor John Finley on rhythm guitar, Vice President of University Advancement Alan Medders on bass, Coca-Cola Space Science Center Director Shawn Cruzen on keyboard, CSU graphic designer Joseph Melancon on drums, and the Cunningham Center’s multimedia production specialist James Turner on vocals.
 
The concert is just one of many events planned to entertain students and bring back alumni.

“Homecoming is getting bigger and better every year,” said Jennifer Joyner, director of CSU’s Office of Alumni Engagement. “We hope alumni come back to reunite with campus and interact with students who are forming their own, new legacies with Columbus State University.”

Joyner said hundreds of alumni and friends come out for fun activities that support the CSU community, including the Doughboy Classic, a parade down Broadway on Friday, a concert and party called “Evening on the Top” that takes place on top of a parking garage in downtown Columbus, followed by fireworks over the Chattahoochee River Saturday night.
 
CSU Homecoming 2015 schedule includes:

Friday, Oct. 16

·         Paint the Paws on the streets around campus, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., main campus

Saturday, Oct. 17   

·         Women's Volleyball, CSU vs. UNC Pembroke, 2 p.m., CSU’s Lumpkin Center

Sunday, Oct. 18

·         Paint the Town on storefronts downtown, 3 - 5p.m.,  downtown

Monday, Oct. 19

·         'Lock in Your Legacy' Kickoff featuring “The Cougar Lounge Band,” 11 a.m. -1 p.m., clock tower on main campus.

·         Paws Up Talent Show, 7 p.m., University Hall on main campus
 
Tuesday, Oct. 20

·         Tower Tug Competition, 11 a.m. - 1p.m., clock tower on main campus

·         Alumni, Student and Community Bike Ride,  6 p.m., Ride on Bikes in downtown Columbus

·         Hypnotist Chris Jones, 8 p.m., University Hall Auditorium

Wednesday, Oct. 21

·         “Find the Cougar” Scavenger Hunt, noon, clock tower on main campus

·         Cougar Madness: Women’s Soccer and pep rally (Red Night),  6 p.m., Walden Soccer Complex

Thursday, Oct. 22

·         Game Day Block Party.  11 a.m. – 1 p.m.,  clock tower on main campus

·         Kappa Sigma ‘Shave to Save,’ 11 a.m. – 2 p.m., clock tower on main campus

·         Doughboy Classic: CSU vs. Ft. Benning Football Game, 7 p.m., A.J. McClung Memorial Stadium (tailgating begins at 4 p.m.)

Friday, Oct. 23

·         Alumni Recognition Lunch and Awards Program*, noon, CSU’s Cunningham Center

·         Homecoming Parade, 6:30 p.m., along Broadway in downtown Columbus

·         Uptown Columbus Outdoor Concert featuring Radiolucent, 7 p.m., stage area at 1100 block, Broadway
 
Saturday, Oct. 24

·         Parent & Family Day, all day, throughout campus

·         CSU Cougar Service Day, 10 a.m. – noon, Schuster 130

·         CSU Club Lacrosse Game with Homecoming King and Queen Crowning at halftime, 2 p.m., Walden Soccer Complex

·         Outdoor Movie: “Space Jam,” 7 p.m., CSU’s Woodruff Park downtown

·         4th Annual Evening on the Top,* Party, 7 p.m., top of city parking garage at 940 Front Ave.

·         Fireworks over the Chattahoochee River, 9 p.m.