Schedule of River Campus events

Nearly a decade of work will culminate this weekend with the grand opening of Southeast Missouri State University's River Campus.

Tours of the campus are on the hour from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday and a dedication will occur at 3 p.m. Sunday. Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder and U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson will make speeches.

Visual and performing arts students have been using the facilities since the beginning of the school year, but this weekend will be the first formal opening to the public.

On display will be:

• The Bedell Performance Hall, the site of ballets, concerts, musicals and instrumental performances
• The Rust Flexible Theatre, a 200-seat "black box" theater that will allow for various seating arrangements and more intimate performances
• The Shuck Recital Hall, in a renovated chapel that will be used for mid-sized musical performances
• A dance studio with views of the Mississippi River.

"This is an unbelievable economic development project," university president Dr. Ken Dobbins said. "This will improve our stature as the center for cultural arts for the Southeast Missouri region."

After the Sunday dedication, the following events will occur:

• Open house, tours and performances by students and faculty, 4:30 p.m.
• Presentation about "Inland Waterways: The Highways of our Heritage" mural by Gary Lucy, 6 p.m. at the John and Betty Glenn Convocation Center.
• Opening of the Crisp museum, 6:30 p.m.

Events occurring Saturday include:

• Alumni Breakfast, honoring Distinguished Service Award recipients. 7:30 a.m. at the Wehking Alumni Center, 926 Broadway.
• Homecoming parade. 9:30 a.m. stretching from Capaha Park to Main Street.
• "Southeast Write Now: A Celebration of Southeast Authors," where a panel of university press authors will answer questions about writing and getting published, 11 a.m. at Kent Library.
• The Southeast-sponsored tailgate, 11 a.m. outside of Houck Stadium.
• Football game against Murray State, 1 p.m. at Houck Stadium.