PennWest California celebrated Homecoming this past week, culminating in the Homecoming parade and King and Queen announcement on Saturday, Oct. 22.

The week was kicked off with Homecoming bingo on Monday night in the Natali Student Center. Following the next day was the announcement of the Homecoming Court, also hosted in Natali.

Voting for this year’s Homecoming Court began last week and was done by students on Engage. The five men and five women who received the most votes are the ones who make up the court, with the top of each being crowned King and Queen.

The Homecoming Court consisted of Erika Vogel, Lena Wankel, Patrick Rodgers, Hailey Lucas, Wade Wolfgang, Lexi Hahn, Christopher Santilli, Naomi Terrell, Jahneek “Neek” Fant, and Noah Kendall.

DJ Zimcosky, a PennWest California senior, said he enjoys Homecoming every year because he likes seeing who the school chooses to represent Cal for the week.

“Plus, there’s just a lot of fun events that happen, besides the court itself,” Zimcosky said.

On Wednesday, a health fair was hosted in the Natali Performance Center from 11 a.m. to 2.p.m. Later that night at 8 p.m., a drag show was presented.

At 11 a.m. outside of Herron Hall on Thursday morning, Oct. 20, a bench was dedicated to Branson King, a Cal student who passed away last December. Because King was an assistant captain of the Cal U Hockey Club, that night’s game against Pitt Johnstown was known as the Branson King Memorial Game, which took place at the Rostraver Ice Gardens. Before the game, a free skate and other activities were held for students.

A luncheon for the Class of 1972’s 50th reunion took place in the Convocation Center on Friday. An AAAS reception and cocktail hour took place there later that evening. Afterwards, an AAAS/BSU panel discussion occurred in Steele Hall.

Homecoming Week concluded on Saturday, Oct. 22. There were various activities around campus before the parade began at noon. The parade started at the Convocation Center and continued down Third Street. It was streamed live on SAI’s Facebook page for anyone who could not attend.

After the parade, a tailgating event happened at Roadman Park from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., when the football game against Slippery Rock commenced. The tailgating included food and drink vendors, as well as a Kid Zone. Current PennWest California students and alumni were encouraged to attend.

Anna Myers, a 2020 Cal U graduate, said it’s a great thing for school alumni to attend the Homecoming game to support and show their school spirit.

“It’s also a great way to catch up with friends or professors that you have not seen in a while. The name of the university might have changed, but students should still have that pride for the school and community,” Myers said.

In addition to the football team, the men and women’s soccer and women’s volleyball teams played home games that day as well.

Homecoming week capped off with the announcement of the Homecoming King, Wade Wolfgang, and Queen, Hailey Lucas, during halftime of the football game. The game, along with the Homecoming announcement, streamed on CUTV’s Youtube page for anyone not in attendance.