honor_garden_-_06-18-2016.jpgA ceremony of remembrance at the Military Honor Garden, located on the south lawn of the Edson and Margaret Larson Alumni and Leadership Center at Mayville State, will be a highlight of the Homecoming 2016 festivities at Mayville State University. The program will be held Saturday, Oct. 8, beginning at 12 noon at the Larson Center. The program will include the reading of the names of each of the individuals who have been honored by their loved ones in this tribute to those who have served in the military. Everyone is welcome to attend the program. Those attending are asked to bring a lawn chair if they wish to sit during the program. The Mayville State University Alumni Association board will be serving chili following the ceremony of remembrance. Freewill donations to help defray expenses associated with the meal will be accepted.

The Honor Garden monument features a life-sized bronze eagle in flight statue, and all five branches of the military are represented on a large granite structure in the center of the memorial. This beautiful and meaningful project is a tribute to Mayville State faculty, staff, and students, as well as alumni and community men and women, for their patriotic service in America’s Armed Forces. The intent is to honor anyone who has served in the military. Those honored include Mayville State alumni, as well as others who did not attend Mayville State. Landscaping at the Military Honor Garden was completed this summer.

Gifts of any size continue to be accepted for the Military Honor Garden project. A gift of $500 or more will provide the donor with a plaque engraved with the name, military branch, and year(s) of service of a veteran whom he or she wishes to honor. For more information on how to get involved with the Military Honor Garden project at Mayville State University, go to www.mayvillestate.edu/militaryhonor or contact Dena Bergstrom at the MSU Foundation, dena.bergstrom@mayvillestate.edu or 701-788-4864.

See more about the Military Honor Garden.

A full slate of activities is planned for Mayville State’s Homecoming 2016. Festivities will begin Friday, Oct. 7 with a social at the Edson and Margaret Larson Alumni and Leadership Center from 4 to 5:30 p.m. The Athletic Hall of Fame and Athletic Coaches Hall of Fame Dinner will follow, at 6 p.m., in the MSU Campus Center Luckasen Room. Athletic Hall of Fame inductees are the 1995-96 and 1996-97 men’s basketball teams, former Mayville State men’s basketball coach Tim Miles, Andee Burris Thompson, Randy Capouch, and Herb Hasz. Rick Anderson, Mike Belseth, Ryam Brantl, Gary Gillis, Rick Metcalf, and Chad Omdahl will be recognized as Athletic Coaches Hall of Fame inductees. A social for alumni and friends will be held at the Mayville Golf Club following the banquet.

In addition to the ceremony of remembrance at the Military Honor Garden, Saturday, Oct. 8 festivities include a morning meet and greet at the Larson Alumni Center from 9 to 11 a.m. This is also a gathering place for a reunion of former Mayville State homecoming queens and kings. The homecoming parade begins at 11 a.m. and will make its way through town. Tours will be offered at the new and improved Health, Physical Education, and Recreation facilities beginning at 1 p.m. The Comets will face Valley City State University in the homecoming football game. It begins at 2 p.m. at Jerome Berg Field. The grand finale for the day will be an all-alumni homecoming reunion, including a gathering of former Mayville State homecoming queens and kings, at the Mayville Golf Club. A picnic-style supper will be served from 4 to 7 p.m., or until the food is gone. Socializing will continue until 9 p.m.

Homecoming 2016 will wrap up with the traditional MSU music department homecoming concert which begins at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 9 in the MSU Classroom Building Auditorium. The 2016 Performing Arts Hall of Fame inductees will be recognized during intermission. They Patti Baker, Cordell Bugbee, Donna Severson Evenson (deceased), Janet Klevberg Day, Robert Hetler, Larry Pladson, and R. Craig Sheppard. A reception to honor these folks will be held in the MSU Campus Center Luckasen Room immediately following the concert.

For more information about Mayville State University Homecoming 2016, go to www.mayvillestate.edu/homecoming or contact the office of alumni affairs at 701-788-4750 or alumni.mail@mayvillestate.edu.