Methodist University will celebrate its Homecoming and Parents’ Weekend Oct. 25-27. A host of activities are planned for alumni, parents, friends and the public.

The 16th Annual Hall of Fame Banquet will be held Friday, Oct. 25 at 6:30 p.m., in Berns Student Center. The Monarch Booster Club will induct three new members and for the first time, will recognize Teams of Distinction, those teams that have distinguished themselves with great performances at the conference, regional and national levels. The inaugural Teams of Distinction to be recognized are the Monarch Women’s Golf Team from 1986-1988; the Monarch Men’s Golf Team of 1990; the 1977 Baseball Team; and the Men’s Basketball Teams of 1973, 1974, and 1975. For ticket information, call 910.630.7175.

Homecoming Day on Saturday, Oct. 26, begins with a bracing 5K/Fun Run around the beautiful Methodist University campus, located on 625 wooded and beautifully landscaped acres near the Cape Fear River. Proceeds from the Third Annual MU Homecoming 5K/Fun Run go to the Wounded Warrior Project and the Alumni Endowed Scholarship Project. For more information and to register, call 910.630.7167 or go to www.ecrr.us and find the 5K/Fun Run on the list of events to register online.

A special Alumni Awards Ceremony and University Update from President Ben Hancock Jr. will be held at 10 a.m., Saturday morning in Yarborough Auditorium in the Margaret and Walter Clark Hall and is free and open to the public. Distinguished Alumni Awards for 2013 will be presented to The Hon. John W. Brown ’71, of Chesapeake, Va.; Bob Dunn ’70, of Charlotte, N.C.; and Thomas Pope ’78, of Fayetteville, N.C.; Steve Driggers ’76and Tim Holtsclaw ’92, both of Fayetteville, will be honored with the Outstanding Alumni Service Award for all that they do to support Methodist. Outstanding Faculty/Staff Awards will be presented to Lynn Gruber Clark ’72 (retired); Dr. Delmas Crisp, vice president for Academic Affairs; and the Rev. Dr. Michael Safley ’72, vice president for University Relations and minister to the campus

.Alumni, parents, and friends will enjoy the annual Lunch on the Green, a Homecoming Fair, and the KidZone on the Davis Memorial Library Quad from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. before heading down to Monarch Stadium for kick-off against the LaGrange Panthers at 1 p.m. Women’s Soccer also begins at 1 p.m., and Men’s Soccer is slated for 3:30 p.m. The Lady Monarchs host a quad volleyball tournament in the Riddle Center all day, with the Lady Monarchs playing at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

For those who love the arts, there is always something happening at Methodist, and Homecoming Weekend is not an exception. The Methodist University Friends of Music will sponsor a Faculty Recital at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25 in Hensdale Chapel. To round out the arts for the weekend, Igneous Expressions, a glass art exhibit, will be open Friday and Saturday in the David McCune International Art Gallery in the William F. Bethune Fine Arts Center (contact sfoti@davidmccunegallery.org); and the Fayetteville Symphony will perform its popular family concert in the Huff Concert Hall in the Reeves Fine Arts Building Sunday, Oct. 27 at 4 p.m.

For more information, visit methodist.edu or call 910.630.7000.

Photo: Methodist University gears up to celebrate Homecoming Oct. 25-27.