COLUMBUS – Students, faculty, staff and alumni will gather at The Ohio State University to show “There’s No Place Like Homecoming,” from Monday (10/8) through Sunday (10/14).

Ohio State’s Homecoming is a week-long celebration where the university community can demonstrates its Buckeye pride. Ohio State officially began celebrating Homecoming in 1912, which was also the first year of the Homecoming Parade.

During the week, about 20,000 students will take part in at least one Homecoming activity, said Kevin Fleming, graduate administrative associate for Ohio Unions & Student Activities. On Saturday, more than 104,000 people are expected on Ohio State’s campus for the Homecoming football game, the parade and the Homecoming University, in which top Ohio State professors take part in an hour-long teach-in that is free and open to the public.

“This is an amazing week,” said Bob Aber, Homecoming committee member. “Homecoming has something for everyone. Every Buckeye near and far is invited to the celebration to show off their Ohio State pride.”

Events include:

· Thursday, Oct. 11, Under Construction with Habitat for Humanity, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the Oval. The Ohio State University has teamed up with Habitat for Humanity to build between 15 and 20 tool sheds for Columbus Habitat homeowners.

· Friday, Oct. 12, Buckeyes, Badgers, and Learning…OH MY!, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. throughout Ohio State’s campus. More than 100 Columbus elementary and middle school students will be on campus for an educational and interactive field trip that introduces them to various academic departments, including astronomy, history and French.

· Saturday, Oct. 13, Homecoming Parade, 10 a.m. along Woodruff Avenue and High Street on Ohio State’s campus. Although the first parade was held in 1912, it became an annual Homecoming event in 1965. It will include high school bands, student organization floats, community representatives, the 2001 Homecoming court and Ohio State’s athletic band. The parade, featuring more than 25 floats, will begin on Woodruff Avenue and pass the avenue’s student grandstand; will wind through campus to High Street; will pass the traditional grandstand on High Street; and will end on 12th Avenue and College Road.

· Saturday, Oct. 13, Homecoming University, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Mendenhall Lab, 125 South Oval Mall. Some of Ohio State’s top professors will offer classes on topics such as nanotechnology, transportation in the 21st century, and media and the presidential election process. These courses are free and open to the public on a first-come basis.

· Sunday, Oct. 14, 3rd Annual Stefanie Spielman Awareness Walk, at Fred Beekman Park, corner of Lane Avenue and Kenny Road. Registration begins at 2:30 p.m. followed by the walk at 3 p.m. As a part of their pledge to raise $1 million or more for breast cancer research, Stefanie Spielman and her husband Chris, former All-Pro NFL linebacker and Ohio State standout, will donate the proceeds of this walk to the Comprehensive Cancer Center in Ohio State’s Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute.

For information about additional events, see Ohio State’s Homecoming Web site at http://www.osu.edu/homecoming/main.php