Sage Kiernan-Sherrow | News Editor

Homecoming is an important week-long community-building event at the heart of Western’s traditions. This year, the homecoming theme was “Wild, Wild Western.” Western began their “wild” festivities with the 3rd annual Homecoming Kickoff Carnival and Paint the Wolf event on Monday, Oct. 14, and ended with the Western football game against Central Washington, where homecoming royalty was crowned during halftime. Although Western eventually lost during overtime, students had many opportunities during the week prior to participate in and enjoy the homecoming festivities. Here are some highlights:

3rd Annual Homecoming Kickoff Carnival & Paint the Wolf celebration: Even though the air was a chilly 44 degrees on Monday Oct. 14, the sunshine filtering through the clouds brought groups of students to participate in the start of homecomings’s activities. The homecoming theme was blatant in the fair-like games — ring-toss and the high-striker — which drew students in. The free cotton candy put a smile on student’s faces and a few students were even brave enough to ride the bull (a mechanical one, of course).  Finally, the annual tradition of repainting the Western logo on Court street was a crowd favorite. 

Paint the Town Red: On Tuesday, Oct. 15, participating businesses in Monmouth allowed students to decorate their windows with window paint fitting the “Wild, Wild Western” theme. Using mostly shades representative of the school’s colors, students grouped together to collaborate on their masterpieces, which included several Wolfie caricatures dressed in their Western-style best (literally). Yee-haw! PLUS team was announced as the winner of the contest on Tuesday, Oct. 22. 

Office Decorating Competition Judging: The office decorating competition was a hit among students and faculty alike and took place on Wednesday, Oct. 16, ending with three offices winning for different categories. According to an email from Student Engagement’s Coordinator of Organizations and Activities, Kelly Welch, Student Engagement won the “best overall” prize, but it was given to the 1st runner-up, the Accounting and Business Office, to avoid bias. The other two prizes were “best incorporation of Homecoming theme,” which went to the Criminal Justice Sciences office and the “best display of WOU spirit,” which went to the Heritage Hall front desk. 

Hoedown: Keeping up with the theme, on Thursday, Oct. 17, Western held the “Hoedown” dance in the Pacific Room of the Werner University Center. Students donned primarily plaid flannels, bandanas and their best tattered jeans while they learned line-dancing choreography and enjoyed free popcorn. 

Bonfire Prep Rally: A personal favorite of many, the burning of the “W” took place on Friday, Oct. 18 during the Bonfire Prep Rally. Students gathered around to be awe-inspired by the flames and enjoy a sense of camaraderie while they discussed the upcoming football game hype. For more information on the Homecoming games’s results, check the sports section.

Wolf Royalty Announcement: According to Western’s Homecoming page, “Homecoming Court and Wolf Royalty are traditions at Western Oregon University that recognize and honor outstanding student leaders who exemplify our values.” This year, there were five nominees for senior Homecoming court and out of those five, two were officially announced and crowned as Wolf Royalty during the Homecoming game’s halftime — students D-Dre Wright and Monica Cerda-Ortiz.

Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu

Photos by Caity Healy