Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College celebrates homecoming March 29-April 2

TIFTON — Alumni can expect a happily ever after during an ABAC Fairy Tail Homecoming Celebration March 29-April 2 at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. That Fairy Tail belongs to the Golden Stallion of ABAC.

Homecoming festivities include the Gee Haw Whoa Back Rodeo, alumni cookout, Alumni vs. Students softball game, ABAC Athletics Hall of Fame dinner, ABAC Alumni Association Awards luncheon, Green and G.O.L.D. (Graduates of the Last Decade) Social, golden and silver alumni reunions, rodeo team and club reunion, remembrance service, alumni social, Folk Life Festival, a community plant sale, and much more.

“The Student Alumni Council is excited to have homecoming back in full swing this year,” Student Alumni President Bryce Roland said. “We are looking forward to hosting alumni and students here on our beautiful campus.”

The annual Gee Haw Whoa Back Rodeo begins at 7 p.m. on April 1-2 at the ABAC Rodeo Arena. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for ages 6-17. Children 5 and under are free. ABAC students are free with current ABAC ID. Events include saddle bronc riding, bareback riding, bull riding, team roping, calf roping, steer wrestling, breakaway roping and barrel racing.

The annual alumni cookout on April 2 at 11:30 a.m. will feature a sought-after delicacy this year with ABAC dining service Executive Chef Jay Johnson’s fried chicken. This event will have indoor and outdoor dining options between the Donaldson Dining Hall and The Meadows. Tickets are $8.50 each and can be purchased on the homecoming website at www.abac.edu/homecoming.

Alumni and students will go head-to-head in a friendly softball competition on March 29 at 6 p.m. Alumni who are interested in playing need to register by visiting https://link.abac.edu/alumni-softball. The student tailgating competition also will be taking place as students compete for the coveted Homecoming Stallion Cup.

The alumni awards luncheon will be held April 1 at 12:30 p.m. in Gressette Gym. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased on the homecoming website. Later that day, the Rodeo Team and Club Reunion will be at the alumni house patio at 5 p.m. A Facebook group has been created for members of the team and the club to connect with one another. The ABAC Athletics Hall of Fame dinner begins at 6 p.m. in Gressette Gym.

Graduates of the Last Decade (G.O.L.D.) are welcome to attend The Green and G.O.L.D Society’s young alumni social that will begin at 5 p.m. on April 1 at The Pub in Tifton.

The Alumni Association invites the Class of 1972 to gather in Tift Hall on April 2 at 1:30 p.m. for a golden alumni reunion following the alumni cookout. All alumni are encouraged to attend the social at the alumni house patio that afternoon at 5 p.m. where the Class of 1997 will be special guests.

A special remembrance service in the chapel on April 2 at 10:30 a.m. will honor deceased members of the Class of 1972, as well as others from the ABAC family who have passed away. Those serving in the military also will be recognized.

On April 2, the Folk Life Festival runs from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at ABAC’s Georgia Museum of Agriculture. Step back in time and experience the museum with interactive activities for both children and adults. The American Legacy Quilt Show will take place at the site as well as the opening of the Wiregrass Farmers Market from 9 a.m.-noon.

Alumni can put their green thumb to work by purchasing flowers and shrubs at the J.G. Woodroof Farm at the Community Plant Sale on March 31 and on April 1, both days from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Prospective students can tour the campus on April 2 during Stallion Day, an event that gives high school students the opportunity to experience a slice of college life. Stallion Day will run from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. at various locations across campus. Prospective students can register for Stallion Day at www.abac.edu/stalliondays.

The Homecoming festivities will come to an end with the Gee Haw Whoa Back rodeo on April 2. The Stallion Cup also will be awarded that evening to the campus club or organization that earns the most points during Homecoming Week.

For information on the 2022 ABAC homecoming activities or to sign up for an event, interested persons can go to www.abac.edu/homecoming or call (229) 391-4900.

Special Illustration: ABAC