Illinois State University’s annual homecoming kicks off on Monday evening. The theme is Redbirds Reign.
“We try to think about the values and the traditions of Illinois State University,” said Rachel Kobus, director of marketing and communication for ISU's Alumni Engagement office. “The logo itself may have that kind of medieval, royalty background. We really thought about ‘Redbirds Reign’ as in how we’re stable, how we’re strong, how you look at our athletics, our academics, our creativity, our talent and how our Redbirds really do reign in all those fields.”
This year, Redbird Tent Zone, known for tailgating, has been rebranded Redbird Village.
Redbird Village will have tailgate food, music, Reggie’s Kid Zone, apparel, giveaways, special appearances from Reggie and the Big Red Marching Machine and more from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday at Horton Field House.
Kobus notes that Redbird Village will make the community feel more connected.
“The Tent Zone was separated up by colleges, so you had to walk around, it was just a little segregated when it came to one college to another to the Redbird Welcome Tent,” Kobus said. “Now instead of having to feel like they have to travel to different tents, they’re gonna be in all one location together, and we hope the atmosphere is going to bring our campus even together at Redbird Village too.”
J. Ivy Concert
Another big Homecoming event is A Night with J. Ivy, hosted by the Black Colleagues Association at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 13, at the Brown Ballroom in the Bone Student Center.
J. Ivy is a Grammy award-winning, former Redbird who has written and performed poetry for Michael Jordan and for Beyonce’s Black is King film promo.
The event includes a J. Ivy performance and meet-and-greet, hors d'oeuvres, nonalcoholic beverages, and ISU swag bag and music from DJ Cliff G.
“I know we have a really good relationship with [J. Ivy] and our director overseeing this has gotten really good relationships and he’s been great to work with,” Kobus said. “It’ll be great to hear spoken-word poetry, but having that kind of hip-hop background in it as well too so he should be a great entertainer.”
The week will also feature traditional homecoming favorites including the homecoming kickoff at 5 p.m. Monday outside of Tri-Tower, the tree-lighting ceremony after the kickoff in Uptown Normal, and the homecoming football game against Indiana State at 2 p.m. Saturday at Hancock Stadium.
