Howard Payne University invites alumni, prospective students and other friends of the university to Stinger Spectacular on Friday and Saturday, October 13-14. Presented by Citizens National Bank, the event will combine Homecoming, Yellow Jacket Preview and Family Weekend for an exciting time on campus.

“We look forward to a wonderful weekend at HPU during this year’s Stinger Spectacular,” said Dr. Kalie Lowrie, assistant vice president for alumni relations. “There are events for all ages and it will definitely be a year to remember, as we have the unique opportunity to view an annular solar eclipse on Saturday morning during our outdoor activities. Alumni, current students and their families, community members and prospective students are invited to take part in this great annual event at HPU.”

Registration for Stinger Spectacular events is available online at www.hputx.edu/spectacular. Some events require payment, while many are free of charge. Prospective students interested in attending Yellow Jacket Preview can register at http://www.hputx.edu/yjp. All Yellow Jacket Preview events are free of charge. The Stinger Pass, which is $20 per person, includes admission into a choice of breakfasts, the HPU Family Picnic and the HPU football game (a $35 value).

Visit www.hputx.edu/spectacular for a complete schedule of events, lodging information, campus map and other details. Individuals who register by September 28 will receive a gift. 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 5:30 p.m. on Friday in the Mabee University Center’s Beadel Dining Hall, where the 2023 honorees will be recognized. Cobbler on the Campus, featuring cobbler from Underwood’s Bar-B-Q, will be held from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on the Muse Mall and Plaza.

Saturday’s festivities will begin with the Alumni & Family Breakfast, sponsored by the City of Brownwood, at 8 a.m. in Beadel Dining Hall. The Stinger Spectacular Parade, sponsored by Bruner Auto Family, 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 Picnic, sponsored by Wendlee Broadcasting, will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Muse Mall and Plaza on campus. During the picnic, solar eclipse glasses will be made available to all attendees to view the annular solar eclipse as it passes over Brownwood.

A special dedication ceremony will be held for the new “H” Pond at 1 p.m. The historic structure on the HPU campus was recently reconstructed next to the Newbury Family Welcome Center and now includes a water feature and lights. The Welcome Center and the newly renovated Douglas MacArthur Academy of Freedom will also be open during this time for visitors to tour the facilities.

The HPU Yellow Jacket football team will play Austin College at 2:00 p.m. at Gordon Wood Stadium, with the Homecoming Court to be announced at halftime.

Additionally, the classes of 1973, 1983 and 1998 will celebrate reunions. Jacket Alums in Ministry and Heritage Singers alumni will host receptions on Saturday, as well as groups including the Rejex and Sigma Alpha Sigma/Jacket Co-eds sorority.

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 future Yellow Jackets. Students will check in at 9:00 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 Picnic. 

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 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Muse Mall and Plaza, followed by Cobbler on the Campus. Saturday, families are invited to watch the Stinger Spectacular Parade, enjoy the HPU Family Picnic and then travel to Gordon Wood Stadium to watch the HPU Yellow Jacket football team play Austin College at 2:00 p.m.

Performances of “Virtue Is Its Own Reward,” presented by the HPU School of Music & Fine Arts, will be held in L.J. Mims Auditorium on Friday at 8:00 p.m., Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and a matinee on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for students and can be purchased through the Stinger Spectacular registration page.

The HPU Alumni Choir Concert will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday in Grace Chapel, featuring two songs by the HPU Heritage Singers. The HPU Marching Band will present an exhibition at 11:00 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.

HPU thanks the following businesses for their support of Stinger Spectacular. The title sponsor is Citizens National Bank. Gold sponsors are Bruner Auto Family; Chick-fil-A of Brownwood; City of Brownwood; Early Texas Visitors and Events Center; HPU Alumni Association; Underwood’s Bar-B-Q; Wendlee Broadcasting; and Willie’s T’s. Navy sponsors are Double H Mercantile; Dr Pepper Bottlers, Brownwood, Inc.; Painter & Johnson Financial; and United Supermarkets. White sponsors are MCBank Early; Robnett Integra Insurance; and Smith & Sharpe Insurance Agency. The Partner sponsor is Common Grounds Coffeehouse.

More information about HPU is available at www.hputx.edu.