PennWest Edinboro is gearing up for the 2024 total solar eclipse with an “Out of this World”-themed Homecoming celebration.

A galaxy of high-flying fun – including music, art, reunions and activities for all ages – will fill the Edinboro campus and surrounding community Sept. 28-30.

“For generations, Edinboro has been a place that inspires students to reach for the stars,” said Amanda Brown Sissem, associate vice president of alumni engagement and Edinboro campus administrator. “In turn, our ‘out of this world’ alumni continue to inspire others as teachers, artists, medical professionals, scientists, pilots and so much more.”

Tony Machi ’70, an award-winning multimedia artist and writer, will discuss his 1982 production, “Eugene Iverd and the Golden Age of Illustration,” at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 28, in Frank G. Pogue Student Center’s Scot Cinema. The event is free and open to the public.

The film is a PBS docudrama on 1930s artist and illustrator Eugene Iverd, an art teacher in Erie, Pennsylvania, whose work graced the covers of the Saturday Evening Post. Edinboro Professor Emeritus James Vredevoogd was cast as Iverd in the production.

Edinboro Campus Life will host a Homecoming pregame for students from 7-10 p.m. Thursday near the Standing Stones at the heart of the Highlands residence halls.

The festivities continue Friday morning with the sold-out 31st Annual Alumni and Friends Golf Outing at Culbertson Hills Golf Resort. Proceeds from the outing support initiatives of the Edinboro University Alumni Association.

“Know the Place,” an exhibition featuring 70 pieces by Edinboro alumni, as well as regional, national and international artists, is on display now through Dec. 2 in Edinboro’s Bruce Gallery on the lower level of Doucette Hall, 215 Meadville St. The photographs, prints, paintings, sculptures, installations and media works explore actual and invented interiors, landscapes and built environments.

Bruce Gallery will be open to the public from 3-6 p.m. Thursday, 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. and 4-6 p.m. Friday, and 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. Saturday. A 30-minute tour with gallery director Lisa Austin is set for 5 p.m. Friday.

Friday events conclude with the Alumni and Friends BBQ from 6-8 p.m. in the green space behind Doucette Hall. Tickets are available here. Soccer will take on IUP at 6:30 p.m. in Sox Harrison Stadium.

The Kilted Mile gets underway at 10 a.m. Saturday. Participants will begin the race at the crosswalk on Meadville Street between The Edinboro Hotel and Flip Café. The midpoint turn will occur at the corner of Meadville Street and Darrow Road, with runners turning back to finish at the original starting line.

Saturday morning’s main event, the annual Homecoming Parade, will step off at 11 a.m., following the traditional route from Darrow Road and down Meadville Street into downtown Edinboro.

Famed animator Jalil Sadool, a 2004 Edinboro graduate whose credits include films like “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” “Avatar,” “Rise of the Guardians,” and “The Adventures of Tintin,” and the video games “Mortal Kombat 11” and “Fortnite,” will serve as grand marshal.

After the parade, a family-friendly festival will fill the campus lawns bordering Meadville Street with children’s activities, local vendors and student art club demonstrations and sales. A complimentary lunch for the community will begin at noon on the lawns behind Doucette Hall.

Women’s tennis faces off against D’Youville at noon, and the Fighting Scots football team will host the Mercyhurst University Lakers at 2 p.m. in Sox Harrison Stadium. Craft brews from the Lake Erie Ale Trail will be available for purchase inside the stadium at the Alumni and Friends Tailgate (must be 21 or older).

Details about these and other events can be found at homecoming.edinboro.edu.

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