A crowded campus crawling with parents, congested streets and merchandise sales at retailers across Burlington can only mean one thing – homecoming weekend is here again. Festivities ran from Friday to Saturday and nearly every campus organization had something fun to offer. The UVM Outing club hosted a hike up camels hump Sunday. Those daring enough to disregard the rain threat were treated to a scenic view from one of Vermonts greatest natural attractions. If you happened by the Chittiden-Buckham-Wills green this Saturday you probably noticed giant pumpkins and baskets of fresh produce – all part of Alpha Zeta’s “Celebration of Vermont Agriculture”. Alpha Zeta, a national agricultural society, threw its centennial celebration at UVM and featured equestrian and cow-milking demonstrations, a pumpkin-weighing contest and fresh cider tasting. “Cream” (Cooperative for Real Education in Agricultural Management) provided genuine green-mountain livestock for “cow patty bingo”, a game in which a cow pen is sectioned into equal squares and bets are placed on which square the cow will defecate on first. Live music enthusiasts had plenty to do this weekend with an array of concerts both on and off campus, including the Department of Music Homecoming concert on Friday. Musicians from varying disciplines lit up venues throughout the weekend, including a cappella groups like the Cat’s Meow and the Hit Paws, jazz pianist John Stetch, and student bands such as Dr. Green, Working Mans Army and Anomaly. Hip-hop artists Ghostface Killah and Cappadonna performed for a crowd of college students at a wall-to-wall packed Higher Ground on Saturday. Students parents and alumni flocked to the CBW green for the annual homecoming parade and the Black Student Union’s soulfood social. Students in the BSU prepared a number of delicious entrees including Peruvian potato salad, jerk chicken, fried catfish and Brazilian chocolate cake for desert. The social featured the music of the “Cameosis Project” and entertainment by the Catamount dance team along with the Urban Flava step team. Despite the lack of a football team, UVM’s traditional parent-student-alumni celebratory weekend began with a bang on Friday when the Catamount hockey team trounced St. Francis Xavier 10-3 in their season opener. The Cat’s play again on Friday, Oct. 14 against Michigan tech before they head to Alaska for the Nye Frontier Classic. In addition the Vermont National Country Club hosted the annual Fall Foliage Golf Classic despite Friday’s inopportune weather.
