Magical experiences will trickle in and out of life, but since they sometimes happen in the blink of an eye, it can be easy to forget the feelings they bring with them. For the next week, students and alumni of Grand Valley State University will be reminded of the magical experience it is to be a Laker for a lifetime.

The homecoming celebration dedicated to “Remembering the Laker Magic” will take place Sunday, Oct. 9 through Saturday, Oct. 15. The week-long series of events and competitions will lead up to the football game against Truman State University Saturday, Oct. 15 at 4 p.m.

Homecoming events are organized by the Laker Traditions Team, an organization dedicated to fostering community at GVSU.

‘’We wanted to do things a little differently this year,” said Brandi Barno, homecoming coordinator for Laker Traditions. “We’ve added brand new events and switched up the schedule a little bit.”

Throughout the week teams participate in events and compete for points to crown a winner at the end of the week. There is no minimum or maximum limit to how many members can be on a team.

The Predicament Escape, a team relay race, began the kickoff competition Sunday, Oct. 9 in the Kelly Family Sports Center.

The Regent Reveal will take place in the Kirkhof Center Monday, Oct. 10 Homecoming regents are students who have been nominated by their student organization and have gone through an interview process to be chosen as finalists. Regents are students who exude qualities of what it means to be a GVSU Laker.

GVSU students will have the chance to vote for the regent after they’ve been revealed. The homecoming regent winner will be crowned 10 minutes prior to the start of the football game.

Teams will compete in Trivia Night, a competition to test the participants’ knowledge on an array of subjects Tuesday, Oct. 11

The Tri-Wizard Tournament will take place Wednesday, Oct. 12 in the Kelly Family Sports Center where teams will compete for points in a series of quidditch matches.

Teams will participate in “Sculpt-It!” Thursday, Oct. 13 where they make sculptures pertaining to the theme out of nonperishable food items, which are then donated to the student food pantry provided by the Women’s Center.

LypSync will take place Friday, Oct. 14 in the Fieldhouse Arena at 9:15 p.m.

Mitch Babbitt, another homecoming coordinator for Laker Traditions said the LipSync competition is the most popular event of the week.

“It’s definitely the event everyone looks forward to and prepares for the most,” Babbitt said. “This year we switched it to be on a Friday because it really ends the week off strong and will carry the excitement into the football game the next day.”

All students are welcome to attend and watch the LipSync battle, which will also be streamed live online.

The judges will crown a winner, but students will also have the chance to go online and vote for the People’s Choice Award recipient as well.

Study tables and the scavenger hunt for hidden rabbit feet will also take place throughout the week.

Alumni events will take place Friday, Oct. 14 and Saturday Oct. 15. A full list of these events can be found at www.gvsu.edu/alumni/homecoming.