Andrews University invites the community to join them for a variety of events during their annual Alumni Homecoming Weekend Sept. 26-29, 2013. A full schedule and description of events, including RSVP forms for select events, is available at alumni.andrews.edu/homecoming.

The weekend begins with the opening of the Andrews Treasures Exhibition, a special showcase of various items brought out of storage for a first-time-ever comprehensive showing, installed in nine locations across the Andrews campus. Items include a Rembrandt sketch, a woolly mammoth, cuneiform tablets, 15th Century sheet music, mission artifacts and more. The opening night, including a brief overview and brochures for planning your visit to each of the exhibition locations, is Thursday, Sept. 26, at 8 p.m. in the Campus Center. The exhibition remains open during regular business hours through October; for special group tours, call Becky May at 269-471-3345.

On Friday, Sept. 27, all are invited to participate in the Wes Christiansen Memorial Golf outing at Harbor Shores Golf Club located at 201 Graham Ave., Benton Harbor, Mich. Registration for this family friendly event begins at 8 a.m. with the shotgun start at 9 a.m. The regular entry fee is $100, which includes 18 holes of four-man/woman scramble golf with a cart, lunch, and prizes. Proceeds will support the Alumni Scholarship fund. Course requirements are collared shirts, soft spikes and no denim pants or shorts. RSVP is required.

Friday’s events also include a presentation by guest speaker and alumnus Wes Youngberg entitled, “Goodbye Diabetes: The lifestyle medicine approach to defining, detecting, defying and defeating diabetes.” Youngberg will share current research on the most effective lifestyle-medicine strategies for the prevention, detection and reversal of prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes. This event is free and open to the public.

The 26th annual homecoming parade begins at 5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 27, in the parking lot of Pioneer Memorial Church. Guests can enjoy free popcorn and shaved ice drinks while watching the parade of floats, marching bands and fire trucks from the bleachers available across from the Howard Performing Arts Center. All are invited to attend. Immediately following the parade, join us in celebrating diversity at the International Flag Raising Ceremony on the flag mall at 6:30 p.m. All are encouraged to wear native dress and participate in both the parade and flag raising. Call 269-471-3345 to sign up and reserve your flag.

Also of interest on Friday is a renovation open house for the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry in Halenz Hall, Room A-107, in the Science Complex from 2-4 p.m.

On Saturday, Sept. 28, explore the campus of Andrews University through a variety of open houses across campus, all occurring from 3–5 p.m. These include the Architecture Resource Center in the Architecture Building, the Art & Design Gallery in Smith Hall, the Center for Adventist Research in the lower level of James White Library, the Department of Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology in Bell Hall, James White Library tours, the Natural History Museum in Price Hall of the Science Complex, the Institute of Archaeology and Siegfried H. Horn Museum, Ruth Murdoch Elementary School, and the Undergraduate Learning Center in Buller and Nethery Halls.

The community is also invited to attend the annual Homecoming Concert at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28, in the Howard Performing Arts Center. This free concert features Andrews University Department of Music ensembles, including University Singers coducted by Stephen Zork, Symphony Orchestra conducted by Claudio Gonzalez and Wind Symphony conducted by Alan Mitchell. A dessert reception precedes the concert at 7:30 p.m.

Among the notable events on Sunday, Sept. 30, is the Aviation Breakfast and Fly-In from 8 a.m.-noon at the Andrews University Airpark. Guests can enjoy a pancake breakfast before touring the airpark to see the fleet of planes and visit the Flight Simulation Center. The price is $7 for adults, $3 for children ages 10 and under. Food will be served until 11 a.m.

For those who enjoy some morning exercise, the annual Harvest Run, a 5K run/walk, 10K run and 1K family walk, will begin at 9 a.m. at Johnson Gym. Preregister for lower registration fees at alumni.andrews.edu/run. Race day registration begins at 8 a.m.

Starting at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 30, is the annual Health & Fitness Expo, a free, family-focused event designed to provide health and fitness information in a fun and interactive way. The event includes mini workouts, cooking demos, nutrition information, games for children and adults, local health service information, opportunities on the Andrews University campus, and more. All participants are eligible to enter a drawing for a home elliptical trainer.

The weekend’s events will conclude Sunday with the 6th annual Ride for AU at 1 p.m. when motorcyclists can enjoy a scenic trip through Southwest Michigan. If the 25-bike minimum is met, the ride will be escorted by the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department Motorcycle Team. RSVP now at alumni.andrews.edu/homecoming.