The MTSU Alumni Association is bringing back the popular 2020 “shoebox” homecoming event that will be paired with the return of the in-person MTSU Homecoming Parade later this month.

This year’s virtual MTShUbox Showcase was called the MTShUbox Parade last year when the COVID-19 pandemic curtailed nearly all in-person homecoming activities. Deadline for entries was Oct. 15.

This 2020 file photo of an MTShUbox Parade entry shows a stuffed animal version of MTSU mascot Lightning standing on a scaled-down version of a Homecoming Parade float with True Blue pom poms and MT football — one of about five dozen of entries submitted in the MTSU Alumni Association-sponsored event held in early October 2020. This year’s virtual event is called MTShUbox Showcase and will air Oct. 25 on True Blue TV. MTSU Homecoming Week is Oct. 25-30. (Submitted photo)

Homecoming activities for the MTSU Student Government Association and alumni will begin Monday, Oct. 25, leading to Oct. 30 Homecoming Day events that include the 10 a.m. parade and 2:30 p.m. Blue Raiders football game against Southern Mississippi in Floyd Stadium.

The SGA theme this year is “True Boo Homecoming” since this year’s celebration falls close to Halloween.

Entries for the shoebox event will be “showcased” at 1 p.m. Oct. 25 in a prerecorded presentation airing on True Blue TV. Alumnus Chip Walters, voice of the Blue Raiders, will announce float entries.

The 2020 MTShUbox event captured the fancy of alumni and others.

“We hope that the MTShUbox Showcase will be enjoyed by our MTSU community near and far,” said Rhonda King, assistant director of alumni relations.

Rhonda King

“We’ve invited everyone — alumni and students from around the globe — to create a shoebox float,” King added. “It takes a little creativity, and inspiration can be found from the 2020 entries at www.mtalumni.com. We encourage you to heat up your glue gun and get busy working with friends, co-workers or children for this fun event.

“The Alumni Association will continue to provide opportunities to be involved with homecoming for our Blue Raiders who are unable to return to campus.”

The MTShUbox idea received national recognition after being nominated in the Council for Advancement and Support for Education, or CASE, Circle of Excellence awards. It earned a grand gold award in the Alumni Engagement on a Shoestring category and silver in the Alumni Relations Pivot category.

True Blue TV airs on Comcast Xfinity channels 9 and 1096 in Murfreesboro and channel 9.1 on the MTSU campus. It airs as channel 195 on DTC in Alexandria, Tennessee, digital channel 206 on United Communications in Chapel Hill, Tennessee, and as channel 99 on AT&T U-verse in Middle Tennessee.

True Blue TV is also available on Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV.  Simply search for the “Education Resource Channel” apps in Roku, the Apple TV App Store, and on Amazon.

— Randy Weiler (Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu)

University Honors College staff collaborated on their virtual “It’s an HONOR to be TRUE BLUE” MTShUbox Parade entry, one of about 60 submissions in the MTSU Alumni Association-sponsored event in early October 2020. This year’s virtual event is called MTShUbox Showcase. MTSU Homecoming Week is Oct. 25-30. (Submitted photo)

The in-person MTSU Homecoming Parade returns in 2021 and will be held starting at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 30. Entries may include MTSU Engineering Technology experimental vehicles like the ones shown here, operated by students. (MTSU file photo)