HUNTINGTON, W.Va. –Homecoming Week has begun at Marshall University, with a full schedule of activities leading up to Saturday’s game.
“Wheel of Thunder” Week officially kicked off on Monday with the Unity Walk and Homecoming Court announcement, followed by the game Blizzard of Buck-A-Roos
For the rest of the week, students and community members can enjoy activities including Taco Tuesday Murder Mystery Night, Hoops in Huntington, the WMUL Car Bash, and more.
MU’s Director of Alumni Engagement, Walker Tatum, and Kanawha Valley Alumni Chapter President, Melanie Pagliaro, appeared on 580 Live with Dave Allen last week to discuss the events and everything happening during Homecoming Week.
Tatum said that among all the events, the Homecoming parade and bonfire are the biggest highlights of the week.
“For the bonfire specifically, that’s where we get to have some fun with the students, they have parade float winners, we have office decorating winners announced, just some really good food, tunes from the band, and chants from the cheer team, it’s a lot of fun for everyone to get together at the bonfire and spend some time together,” Tatum said.
The parade will be led by grand marshal Jim Thornton, the voice of Wheel of Fortune. It will begin on Fourth Avenue and continue to Harless Field.
Thornton is a Huntington native who graduated from Huntington High School and later attended Marshall University.
Tatum said he was able to see Thornton in his element and could tell that he takes pride in being from Huntington and having attended Marshall.
“I actually went to LA a couple of weeks ago and we got to go on set of the Wheel of Fortune and get to see him in his element, just the way that he leads and the way he lets people know he’s from this area and represents this community, it’s just out of this world,” he said.
On Wednesday, there will be an opportunity to meet Jim at Jim’s Spaghetti from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Pagliaro encouraged both community members and alumni to come out and take part in the Homecoming events.
“It’s exciting time to be in Huntington on campus, if you need something to do, we have a lot of activities and it’s free, so come and join us and participate and connect and reconnect with alumni and current students,” she said.
Marshall plays Texas State on Saturday, with kickoff at 3:30 p.m.
To see a full list of events go to Marshall’s website here.
Photo: Marshall University’s Facebook