Bluffton University will celebrate “A Place That Inspires” during Homecoming weekend Oct. 15 and 16.
 
A free picnic lunch will be available for alumni in an alumni tailgate tent at Emery Sears Athletic Complex from noon until 1:30 p.m., when the Homecoming game against Hanover will begin. No reservations are required for the tent; game tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for youth at the gate. Admission is free for children ages 4 and under.
 
From noon to 2 p.m., a Kid Zone, also at Emery Sears Athletic Complex, will offer activities such as inflatables for children ages 5-10. Bluffton mascots J. Denny and Jenny Beaver will also be available for selfie photos. Adult supervision will be provided.
 
Saturday’s activities will conclude with the President’s Banquet, honoring milestones of achievement, service and giving. A reception will begin at 5:30 p.m. in Burcky Gym, followed by the banquet at 6:30 p.m. in Founders Hall.
 
Alumni awards will go to Diego Rodriguez, a 2004 graduate who will receive the Outstanding Young Alumni Award, and Judy (Mull ’63) Pierman, who will receive the Lifetime Service Award. In addition, university President James Harder will recognize donors for achieving milestones in giving to Bluffton last year.
 
Tickets for the banquet are $25 and may be reserved by Sept. 30 by contacting Amy Byers in the alumni office at [email protected] or 419-358-3456.
 
Saturday’s events will also include:
 
∙ Open house at The Lion and Lamb Peace Arts Center, Riley Court, 10-11 a.m. The Lion and Lamb houses a collection of art and books, including its “Swords to Plowshares: The Creation of John P. Klassen’s Mennonite Central Committee Medallion.”
 
∙ Reception for Bluffton art faculty Andreas Baumgartner, Jim Fultz, R.R. Steiner and Philip Sugden, 10 a.m. to noon, Grace Albrecht Gallery, Sauder Visual Arts Center. “Silent Treatment,” an exhibit of the current work of Bluffton’s art faculty, will be on display in the gallery from Sept. 27-Oct. 16. Gallery hours on Saturday are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
 
∙ Baseball alumni game, 10 a.m., Emery Sears Athletic Complex
 
∙ Ultimate Frisbee, 4 p.m., Musselman Library Green

Homecoming weekend will conclude Sunday, Oct. 16, with a free, 2:30 p.m. concert by Camerata Singers, the University Chorale and the Concert Band in Yoder Recital Hall.