Howard Payne University invites alumni, prospective students and other friends of the university to the Stinger Spectacular on Friday and Saturday, October 1-2. The event will combine Homecoming, Yellow Jacket Preview and Family Weekend for an exciting time on campus.

“There will be something for everyone during this year’s Stinger Spectacular,” said Dr. Kalie Lowrie, assistant vice president for alumni relations. “We are looking forward to a weekend full of great connections and fun events on the HPU campus as we welcome alumni, friends, families and future Yellow Jackets.”

Registration for Stinger Spectacular events is available online at www.hputx.edu/spectacular. Some events may require payment, while many are free of charge. Prospective students interested in attending Yellow Jacket Preview can register at www.hputx.edu/yjp. All Yellow Jacket Preview events are free of charge.

Visit www.hputx.edu/spectacular for a complete schedule of events, lodging information, campus map and other details. Individuals who register by Sept. 17 will receive a free Stinger Spectacular t-shirt, sponsored by Willie’s T’s. For more information, call the Office of Alumni Relations at 325-649-8007.

During the weekend, alumni and friends are invited to participate in traditional Homecoming events. The Alumni Banquet, sponsored by the HPU Alumni Association, will be held at 5:45 p.m. on Friday in the Mabee University Center’s Beadel Dining Hall, where the 2021 Homecoming Honorees will be recognized. Cobbler on the Campus, featuring cobbler from Underwood’s Bar-B-Q and music by Austin Upchurch ’16, will be held from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Friday at Mims Auditorium Pergola.

Saturday’s festivities will begin with the Alumni Breakfast, sponsored by the City of Brownwood, at 8 a.m. in Beadel Dining Hall. The Stinger Spectacular Parade, sponsored by Bruner Auto Group, will begin at Brownwood Coliseum at 10 a.m., traveling through downtown Brownwood on Center Avenue and on to Fisk Street, where it will pass the HPU campus. The HPU Family BBQ, sponsored by Wendlee Broadcasting and Promotional Products, will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Muse Mall and Plaza on campus. The HPU Yellow Jacket football team will play Sul Ross State University at 3:30 p.m. at Gordon Wood Stadium, with the Homecoming Court to be announced at halftime. The HPU Women’s and Men’s Soccer teams will have games at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., respectively, at Citizens National Bank Soccer field against teams from Belhaven University.

Yellow Jacket Preview will give prospective students the opportunity to meet with faculty and staff, tour campus and explore the opportunity to join the HPU Family as a future Yellow Jacket. Students will check in at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday at Mims Auditorium and have a morning full of activities including watching the Stinger Spectacular Parade and enjoying the HPU Family BBQ.

Family Weekend will allow parents and families of current HPU students to experience a weekend at HPU. On Friday, families are invited to the HPU Student and Family Dinner held from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. by Old Main Tower and Cobbler on the Campus. Saturday, families are invited to watch the Stinger Spectacular Parade, enjoy the HPU Family BBQ, and then travel to Gordon Wood Stadium for the Pep Rally and Tailgate at 1:30 p.m. before the HPU Yellow Jacket football team plays Sul Ross University at 3:30 p.m.

Performances of the Homecoming play “Cinderella” will be held in Mims Auditorium at 8:30 p.m. on Friday and 8 p.m. on Saturday. The HPU Alumni Choir Concert will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday in Grace Chapel. The HPU Marching Band will present an exhibition at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday on the front steps of Mims Auditorium. The Alumni Art Exhibition will be open from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday in the Dorothy and Wendell Mayes Art Gallery in the Doakie Day Art Center. Children are invited to participate in Little Jackets’ Nest, sponsored by Early Texas Visitors and Events Center, on Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

In addition to the sponsors mentioned above, HPU thanks the following businesses for their support of the Stinger Spectacular: Brownwood Chamber of Commerce; Citizens National Bank; Double H Mercantile; Dr Pepper; MCBank; Painter and Johnson Financial; Robnett Integra Insurance Services; Smith and Sharpe Agencies; TexasBank; and United Supermarkets.