Concert and Food Trucks Add to UMO Homecoming and Pickle Classic Weekend Fun
August 29, 2024
Contact: Rhonda Jessup, Director of Public Relations
Concert and Food Trucks Add to UMO Homecoming and Pickle Classic Weekend
MOUNT OLIVE – Homecoming and Pickle Classic Weekend is a great time for alumni, churches, parents, and community members to enjoy the University of Mount Olive campus. Scheduled for November 15 – 16, the theme for this year’s event is Celebrating the Art and Soul of UMO. The weekend’s lineup of activities will include an afternoon of concerts featuring well-known artists from a variety of genres, food trucks, vendor booths, Kid’s Korner, the Annual Golf Tournament, the Trojan Trot 5 K Walk/Run, Alumni and Hall of Fame awards ceremonies, and of course, Pickle Classic basketball.
CONCERT, FOOD TRUCKS, AND VENDOR BOOTHS
The highlight of this year’s festivities will be a Saturday afternoon concert from noon to 6:30 PM. The concert will feature contemporary Christian artists Consumed by Fire, the Bluegrass band Luke Shamblin & Friends, local up-and-coming country talent Zack Lee, UMO alumnus and Carolina Country Music Artist of the Year Erik Hawks, as well as appearances from UMO Music Choirs, Carolina Sound, and the Free Spirit Alumni Choir. Tickets can be purchased online at umo.edu/homecoming. Various food truck vendors will be at Kemp Commons so guests can purchase meals or snacks during the concert.
ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME
The Athletics Hall of Fame ceremony is set for 3 PM in Southern Bank Auditorium. This year’s inductees are women’s volleyball player Priscilla Racey Bartley from the class of 2011; women’s soccer standout Gina Dos Santos from the class of 2010; baseball star Stephen Mintz from the class of 1990; men’s volleyball standout Angel Dache from the class of 2014; and the 2004-05 men’s basketball team.
ALUMNI AWARDS CEREMONY
The Alumni Awards Ceremony, including the Annual Memorial and Worship Service, is set to begin at 10:30 AM in Rodgers Chapel.
TROJAN TROT
For those early risers, the Trojan Trot, a 5K run and 1.5-mile walk, will begin with registration at 7 AM on Saturday and the race at 7:30 AM. The event starts in front of the Poole Administration building at 634 Henderson Street in Mount Olive. The cost is $10 for adults and $5 for UMO students. The event is free for kids 10 and under.
PICKLE CLASSIC BASKETBALL
Pickle Classic, one of the longest-running college basketball tournaments in the nation, will be at its best on Friday and Saturday evenings, with the men’s games each night at 5 PM and 7 PM in Kornegay Arena. The women’s teams will start the competition at noon on Saturday. This year’s lineup of teams includes the University of Mount Olive Trojans, Georgia Southwestern, Barton College, and Morris College. Online Pickle Classic tickets are $18 in advance for the entire weekend or $12 per day. Tickets at the door are $25 for both nights or $15 per day.
GOLF TOURNAMENT
The Annual Alumni Golf Tournament is scheduled for Friday, November 15, at Southern Wayne Country Club. Registration and lunch begin at 11 AM, with a shotgun start at noon. The cost is $75 per player or $300 per team. Alumni and friends are invited.
“Homecoming Weekend is always a great time to reconnect and to remember the people and the place that is uniquely UMO,” said UMO President H. Edward Croom. “We love welcoming our alumni back home!”
FOR MORE INFORMATION/TICKETS
For more information regarding Homecoming Weekend, please contact Christal Howell at chowell@umo.edu or call 919-658-7704. For information about Pickle Classic, contact Tina Loy in Athletics at cloy@umo.edu.
The University of Mount Olive is a private institution rooted in the liberal arts tradition with defining Christian values. The University is sponsored by the Convention of Original Free Will Baptists. For more information, visit www.umo.edu.
