Homecoming weekend an opportunity to celebrate SEMO

Cape Girardeau will be buzzing with Southeast Missouri State University students, faculty and alumni clad in red and black over the coming days for Homecoming weekend.

The schedule contains several events, ranging from The Copper Dome Society and Alumni Awards Dinner on Friday night to the parade on Saturday morning and, of course, the football game — with the No. 15-ranked Redhawks who are 6-1 this season — on Saturday afternoon at Houck Stadium.

Several faculty and alumni will be recognized on Friday night at The Copper Dome Society and Alumni Awards Dinner. Hamner Hill, a SEMO philosophy professor will be presented the Faculty Merit Award. Alumni Merit Award recipients are Zaki Ali, a criminal defense, personal injury and immigration lawyer; Matt McClelland, CEO/executive vice president of Prairie Farms Dairy; and Kim Woolf, owner if Woolf Properties. Receiving the Young Alumni Merit Award is Matt Shead, manager of content and advertising promotion for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Homecoming weekend is a special time to celebrate Southeast Missouri State University and visit friends, some we see regularly and others less frequently. There's no shortage of school spirit, and Cape Girardeau and the university community roll out the red carpet for this special weekend of celebration.

We hope everyone enjoys the weekend. A special welcome to all those visiting Cape Girardeau. And a reminder to be careful this weekend as you celebrate all the good things happening on campus and in Cape Girardeau.