Saturday evening, Purple Side students, alumni, friends and family filling the seats in Palmer Hall Auditorium erupted in joy shortly after midnight when Student Government Association President Cody Hodge uttered “it’s our time to rise up” signifying a Purple Victory and capping the 2023 Homecoming and College Night weekend.
The Purple Side claimed victory after its “Cryptid Conspiracy: The Lost Episode” production on the Palmer Auditorium stage.
The production featured Jane and Carter, a pair of radio co-hosts in search of the latest mythical creature, getting trapped in a dimension named “The Woods” and searching for an escape. After Jane became convinced that she is “the one” and only capable of escaping via a portal, she regretted her decision when she realized her choice left her destined to forever repeat her past as the closing scene returned to the opener with “The Woods” revealing its omnipresence in her life.
The Gold Side put on their “Starpower!” production to begin the evening. The show featured the long-separated Kelly sisters who discovered their sisterhood after being convinced by music producer Daniel McMichaels to change their personas to Kira Star and Gigi Vegas to fit a glitz and glamourous image. The duo returned to their roots as the newly named Kelly sisters, with parents Jo Ellen and Cash, and brought along other McMichael Labels Record stars for an authentic performance to end the play.
College Night was dedicated to UM Police Chief Tim Alexander with Xavier Swain and Mary Kate Middlebrook being crowned Mr. and Mrs. Montevallo, respectively.
The UM campus was filled with hundreds of alumni, students, faculty, staff, family and friends taking part in several different festivities this year during Homecoming weekend.
The University hosted a 50-year reunion celebration at Anna Irvin Dining Hall for the Class of 1973 and a reception for Hon. Beth Chapman ’84, UM trustee , this year’s University of Montevallo National Alumni Association Distinguished Alumni award recipient , at Stephens Hall on Friday night. UM hosted the Athletics Hall of Fame reception which featured the induction of Hon. Todd Strange ’66, UM trustee, as itcelebrated the Class of 2023 on Friday night at the Center for the Arts.
The festivities also included several receptions hosted by UM departments and campus organizations at various locations around campus on Saturday morning as well as the Purple vs. Gold basketball game at the Robert M. McChesney Student Activity Center.
The UMNAA Awards luncheon honored Hon. Chapman, Nathalie Molton Gibbons Alumni Achievement award winner Cindy Clark Greer ’88 and Nathalie Molton Gibbons Young Achiever’s award winner Heather Buckner ’14 at Anna Irvin Dining Hall. The luncheon was followed by reunions for the Old Golds and Vintage Purples alumni clubs, Alabama College and the Classes of 1973, 1983, 1993 and 2003.
The Alumni Art Auction and Poole Party and Young Alumni Party for the Class of 2013 at the Center for the Arts capped the reunion events late Saturday evening before College Night in Palmer Hall Auditorium.
