Each year, hundreds of Sea Gulls return to Salisbury University to celebrate Homecoming with friends, former classmates and professors. Similarly, hundreds of parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles and more come to the campus every fall to visit their students during Family Weekend. And thousands of cyclists flock to the Eastern Shore for SU’s annual Sea Gull Century bicycle ride.
This year, all three take place over the course of two weeks. Activities begin with an extended and combined Homecoming and Family Weekend from September 27-October 2.
A special highlight will be guided tours of SU’s new $117 million Patricia R. Guerrieri Academic Commons on Friday afternoon, September 30, and Saturday morning, October 1.
The week also includes student-centered events such as a pep rally, step show and color run hosted by recognized student organizations. Starting at 11 a.m. Saturday is the SU Alumni Association’s annual pre-game barbecue in the field adjacent to the new Sea Gull Stadium at the corner of Power and Wayne Streets. This serves as a reunion for the classes of 1976, 1981, 1986, 1991, 1996, 2001, 2006 and 2011. The meal includes barbecue with all the sides, sodas and beer provided by Evolution and SweetWater brewing companies.
Music is by Beauty for Ashes; children’s games and activities are available. Entrance to the tent area is free to everyone. The barbecue is free for alumni who preregister. For additional family members or for anyone who registers the day of the event, the cost is $16, $10 for children 10 and under.
Sea Gull Football hosts The College of New Jersey at 1 p.m. Admission is $7; $5 for alumni, seniors and non-SU students; $2 for children 5-12; free for children under 5. SU ID holders receive one ticket free. Tailgating (new this fall for Sea Gull fans!) begins at 10 a.m. at the corner of South Division and Avery streets. This activity is part of efforts to bolster school spirit and athletics support. For more information visit www.salisbury.edu/gameday.
A luncheon for alumni graduating prior to 1972 is 11 a.m. in the Worcester Room of the Commons. The class of 1966 is honored on its 50th anniversary. Admission is $20, free for Class of ’66 members, and pre-registration is required. The classes of 1931, 1936, 1941, 1946, 1951, 1956, 1961 and 1971 will be recognized, as well.
On Friday, the SU Athletics Hall of Fame inducts four new members during its 6 p.m. banquet in the Guerrieri Academic Commons Assembly Hall. They are: Brittany Elliott Mitchell (’06 field hockey), Greg Lemon (’06 baseball), Sean White (’06 men’s lacrosse) and Dr. Michael Vienna (SU athletics director from 1993-2015). Admission is $30, $25 for past inductees, free for Maroon & Gold Club members. Pre-registration is required.
For other Homecoming highlights, call 410-543-6042 or visit the SU Alumni website at alumni.salisbury.edu. For more information about Family Weekend events, call 410-543-6080 or visit www.salisbury.edu/parents/familyweekend.
Following last year’s nor’easter-related rainout — the first cancellation in its history — the Sea Gull Century returns Saturday, October 8, welcoming thousands of bicyclists to Maryland’s Eastern Shore for the 28th annual event.
Participants from Maine to Georgia to Arizona again will have the option of riding one of two 100-mile routes, to Assateague Island or to Snow Hill, or a 100-kilometer route to Princess Anne. Optional rides to a local crab restaurant, Salisbury Zoological Park and SU’s Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art are scheduled the day before and day after the main ride.
Wicomico County’s largest one-day tourism event, the Sea Gull Century has an annual local economic impact of approximately $2.5 million, according to SU’s Business, Economic and Community Outreach Network (BEACON). It has been lauded as one of the nation’s best century rides in publications including Bicycling, The Ride Magazine and The Washington Post.
To register, or for more information, visit www.seagullcentury.org.
Whether you’re a former student, a relative of a current student, a cyclist or just a Sea Gull supporter, we hope to see you at one of these fun events this fall!
