The 105th America's Greatest Homecoming runs October 18 through 24 this year, and its oldest tradition takes place four days before the parade. On Tuesday, October 20, from 6 to 8 p.m., OSU students fill the Payne County Expo Center for the Harvest Carnival & Chili Cook-Off. It's a carnival for kids, and you get in with one canned good or a dollar. Visit Stillwater calls it "the tradition that initially began America's greatest homecoming."
The Alumni Association says the week draws tens of thousands of alumni back to town. The Walkaround and the Sea of Orange Parade fall on Friday night and Saturday morning. If you already live here, the week runs on a different clock. The events built for Stillwater households land early in the week, on weeknights, and they cost almost nothing. This year's theme is "The Code Calls Us Home," and for a family with young kids, a lot of that home part happens days before the parade.
Tuesday at the Expo Center is the original Homecoming
Visit Stillwater says Greek houses, residence halls and student organizations plan and run the Harvest Carnival "specifically for kids to attend and enjoy the carnival atmosphere." The listing also says to expect plenty of kids in Halloween costumes. The Expo Center is at 4518 Expo Circle E. Admission is one canned good per person or $1, and games don't need tickets.
Those terms matter. Once you're in, the games cost nothing, so a family of four pays four cans, and that covers the evening. The 6 to 8 p.m. window also works for a school night: kids can come straight from dinner in costume and be home by bedtime. With Halloween eleven days later, the costume may already be hanging in the closet.
The event listing describes the carnival as "a great way for OSU students to get involved in the Stillwater community." That puts the town at the center of its oldest tradition. Before the house decorations, the parade floats and the Saturday crowds, Homecoming opened with students hosting local kids.
Where your can of green beans actually goes
The listing asks for more than the one-can admission. It encourages extra donations as part of the Harvest II food drive. Harvest II doesn't send everything to a single pantry. The canned goods are split among eight local agencies:
- Perkins Neighborhood Ministries
- Our Daily Bread
- Pete's Pantry
- Wings of Hope
- Payne County Youth Shelter
- Mission of Hope
- Adult & Teen Challenge–Central Oklahoma
- The Salvation Army
Those names change the math on the Tuesday ticket. The can that gets your kid through the door ends up stocking shelves at organizations that work in Stillwater, Perkins and across Payne County the other 51 weeks of the year. Bringing a full grocery bag instead of four cans costs a few dollars more and goes to the same eight places.
Wednesday hands families a street and a paintbrush
The second family night is Wednesday, October 21, when Hester Street becomes the canvas. The painting happens on Hester Street west of the Business Building. Families are invited starting at 5 p.m., and general students join at 6. Supplies are provided, and outside paint or chalk isn't allowed, so there's nothing to buy or bring. Campus parking opens after 5 p.m. in spaces not reserved for specific permits.
The two published schedules differ on timing. Visit Stillwater lists the Community Hester Street Painting as 5 to 6 p.m., and the Alumni Association lists the full event as 5 to 7. Both line up with the same plan. The 5 o'clock hour belongs to families, and the street turns over to students after 6. If you want the full stretch of pavement and a short walk from a parking spot, arrive at 5.
Taken with Tuesday, that gives the week a clear shape. Two weeknight events, back to back, are planned around kids and households, priced at a can of food or free, and timed to finish by early evening.
The rest of the week builds toward the visitors
The Homecoming week events grow larger, and they draw more visitors, as Saturday gets closer:
| Day | Event | What a resident should know |
|---|---|---|
| Sun., Oct. 18 | Orange Fountain Dyeing, Royalty Coronation, Sign Competition | Fountain dyeing is 6 p.m. at the Edmon Low Library fountain |
| Mon., Oct. 19 | Student Homecoming Tailgate | Listed as a student event |
| Thu., Oct. 22 | Residential Life Lawn Decoration | No time or location published yet |
| Fri., Oct. 23 | Walkaround, Pep Rally, Orange Reflection | Walkaround runs 5:30 to 9 p.m. in the Greek Neighborhood, and pets aren't allowed |
| Sat., Oct. 24 | Sea of Orange Parade, Cowboy Corral, Colorado vs. OSU | Parade runs 9 to 11 a.m. on Main Street; kickoff time TBA |
At the Walkaround, fraternity and sorority students show the house decorations they built. If the family dog usually comes on evening walks, leave it home Friday, since the event doesn't allow pets.
The Sea of Orange Parade starts at 9th and Main and heads north to Hall of Fame Avenue. It includes nearly 150 entries from Greek houses, residence halls, student organizations, alumni and the Stillwater community. That last group matters. The community has a place in the lineup, just as it has a place at the Tuesday carnival.
Homecoming contest winners are announced during the Colorado game at Boone Pickens Stadium. OSU's official football schedule still lists kickoff as TBA.
Parade morning parking that pays it forward
As of early October, Visit Stillwater's game-day guide lists the City of Stillwater's Homecoming safety measures as "Coming Soon." Check back with the City in the days before the 24th before you plan a route across Main Street.
The same guide lists two downtown lots where your parking fee goes to a local cause. Simmons Bank at 308 S. Main St. offers Sea of Orange Parade parking, with proceeds going to United Way Payne County. Great Plains Bank at 232 Main St. charges $20 per game, with proceeds going to Stillwater Ag Boosters. The guide doesn't give a year for these listings, so confirm with each bank before you count on the spot or the price.
If you're headed to the game, the guide also lists a free park-and-ride from 7th and Lewis downtown. Shuttles to Boone Pickens Stadium start three hours before kickoff and keep running until 30 minutes after it. Service picks back up in the third quarter and continues for at least 30 minutes after the game, or until the lines are gone. POSSE lots open at 8 a.m. Public parking on campus is first-come, first-served in spaces that aren't POSSE-designated or restricted by OSU police or parking services.
The open nights in between
The Homecoming calendar leaves gaps, and a few long-running Stillwater fall events fill them.
Sunday, October 18. The Ramble, an OSU disc golf fundraiser, runs 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Lake Carl Blackwell, and spectator vehicles pay $5. It ends an hour before the 6 p.m. fountain dyeing at Edmon Low Library, so one Sunday can hold both.
Any day that week. The free Downtown Scarecrow Contest runs October 3 through 25. Displays made by local businesses and community groups line the downtown light poles. Its last day falls the day after the parade, so the same blocks the floats pass on Saturday stay decorated through the weekend.
Monday or Thursday. The Noon Lions Pumpkin Patch at Highland Park United Methodist Church is open daily through October 31. Weekday hours are 1:30 to 7:30 p.m., Saturday hours are 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., and Sunday hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The Monday and Thursday Homecoming events are aimed at students, which makes those good nights for family pumpkin photos.
If the family books two weeknights, Tuesday at the Expo Center and Wednesday on Hester Street, the kids see the original version of Homecoming. Bring a bag of canned goods on Tuesday, and get to Hester Street by 5 on Wednesday.
At Premier Realty, LLC, we've spent more than 30 years living in and selling homes across central Oklahoma, and weeks like this one are part of what makes Stillwater home. If you're a Payne County homeowner wondering what your place is worth before next fall's Homecoming comes around, we'll put together a straightforward number for you. Get My Valuation.
