MTSU homecoming week activities are underway as the campus and community spirit rises in anticipation of Homecoming Day Saturday, Oct. 5.

With the theme of “The Deep Blue Sea,” all of this week’s events will build toward Saturday’s 2:30 p.m. CDT nationally televised football game against East Carolina in Floyd Stadium.

The MTSU Band of Blue leads the 2012 Homecoming parade down Middle Tennessee Boulevard as fans line the sidewalk. (MTSU file photo by J. Intintoli)

The game, which will air on Fox Sports 1 and Fox Sports National, will be MTSU’s first home game as a member of Conference USA. The university officially joined C-USA July 1.

To find a list of alumni activities, visit www.mtalumni.com and click on the “The Deep Blue Sea” graphic at the top of the page. Visit www.mtsu.edu/sga/hc_activities.php for Student Government Association events.

“Homecoming 2013 will celebrate alumni and community pride for MTSU,” Alumni Relations Assistant Director Rhonda King said. “We welcome alumni from across the nation back to campus during Homecoming Week.”

Brandon Loso, SGA homecoming director, said “Homecoming serves as a time for the university and community to come together to celebrate 103 years of True Blue Pride at Middle Tennessee State University.”

Two new events are adding to the 2013 festivities.

Alumni Relations has a new community event, the True Blue Homecoming Pep Rally at The Avenue, located at 2615 Medical Center Parkway in Murfreesboro, from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 3.

The event will include inflatables, a party fire truck, prizes and giveaways, and loads of MT spirit, King said. She added that the MTSU athletic ticket office will be on-site selling tickets and the MTSU cheerleaders, pep band and mascot Lightning will attend.

The SGA also “has worked to create new events as well as expand the current traditions that our student body, faculty and staff, community and alumni can all get excited about,” Loso said.

The SGA will unveil the Freshman Treasure Walk starting at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 2, at the Student Union Commons.

Click on the graphic above for a printable Homecoming 2013 poster full of event details.

Loso said the event was created, along with the Connection Point,” for our freshman class to place an emphasis on their involvement on campus.” Participants can enjoy entertainment by a  disc jockey, giveaways from local businesses and a “Deep Blue Sea” homecoming cake prepared by MT Dining.

The first-year Connection Point program, created to get freshmen more involved and “connected” to campus, requires them to attend six of 16 campus activities. You can view more of this fall’s Connection Points at www.mtsu.edu/stuaff/connect.

During Homecoming Week, alumni and students will find more food, fun and fellowship opportunities Tuesday, Oct. 1, at the Chili Cook-Off at Stones River Mall and Oct. 5 with tailgating.

Nashville-based indie-progressive rock band Moon Taxi, which has performed at Bonnaroo, Forecastle, Lollapalooza and other venues, will play at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 2, in the Student Union Ballroom. You can find more details on the concert here.

The Golden Raiders Reunion and Induction Ceremony for the Class of 1963 takes place at 12:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4, in the Student Union.

The popular National Panellenic Council Step Show will be held starting at 7 p.m. Oct. 4 in Murphy Center; more details are available here.

Chip Walters (B.S. ’85), the “Voice of the Blue Raiders,” and Murfreesboro journalist and sports talk broadcaster Monte Hale Jr. (B.S. ’86) will broadcast the 10 a.m. Oct. 5 Homecoming Parade from the Alumni House front lawn at 2259 Middle Tennessee Blvd. That’s also the location for the 9:30 a.m. Mixer on Middle.

Parade grand marshal will be Darrell Freeman (B.S. ’87), founder and executive chairman of Zycron Inc., a Nashville-based company hat began in an MTSU dormitory room and helps hospitals manage information technology.

Freeman, the 2002 MTSU Young Alumni Achievement Award recipient, recently was named by Gov. Bill Haslam to represent the 7th Congressional District on the Tennessee Board of Regents, the governing body for Tennessee’s community colleges and most of the public universities.

MTSU 2013-14 Distinguished Alumni recipients Keith Taylor of New York City, Larry Cox of Knoxville, Tenn., and Stephen Smith of Brentwood, Tenn., and 2013-14 Young Alumni Achievement honoree Aaron Carlton of Eagleville, Tenn., and Caracas, Venezuela, will ride in the parade.

The popular fifth annual Baby Raider Ride Contest again will be part of the parade. Children and grandchildren of alumni, fans or friends of the university can participate. Participants’ parents, grandparents or guardians can register online. Check-in begins at 8:30 a.m. and judging begins at 9:15. Email questions to Rhonda.King@mtsu.edu.

Find more about Homecoming 2013 by following MTSU on Facebook or Twitter @MTSUHomecoming. You also can watch an SGA video about Homecoming 2013 below.

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