As Homecoming 2013 draws near, alumni and students alike are gearing up for a weekend of festivities.

Binghamton University’s annual homecoming celebration returns as a weekend-long event featuring traditional favorites such as the tailgate party, men’s soccer game, Basketball Showcase, Black Student Union Fashion Show, Greek God and the Bearcats of the Last Decade (BOLD) mixer.

According to Steve Seepersaud, communications manager for the Office of Alumni Relations, BU’s class of 1973 and Harpur’s Ferry will be celebrating their 40th anniversaries. The University is also holding reunions for the classes of 1988 and 2003.

Pamela Blatkiewicz, a Harpur’s Ferry EMT and senior majoring in psychology, said that homecoming will be a chance for the volunteer organization to show off the progress it’s made.

“[We] will be having an open house at our new squad room, where we will have our new vehicles on display for alumni to tour and we will have a table set up with old pictures and memorabilia from years past,” she said.

Seepersaud said he was looking forward to the weekend’s festivities.

“Homecoming is probably the most exciting event the Alumni Association sponsors all year,” he said.

BU’s homecoming celebrations usually attract close to 1,000 alumni each year.

“We have tried to make sure there will be activities to interest all alumni and all ages,” Seepersaud said. “There is also ample time for alumni and their families to explore campus on their own and enjoy the natural beauty of the area.”

Attendees are encouraged to explore and check out the new additions to campus throughout the weekend. President Harvey Stenger will also give a State of the University address on Saturday afternoon in Lecture Hall 14, where he will discuss his Road Map proposal and explain how alumni can contribute to Binghamton University’s mission of becoming the “premier public university of the 21st century.”

New Harpur Dean Anne McCall will also host an open house to meet with alumni.

“Many [alumni] are active volunteers for us, so they make their presence felt throughout the year both on and off campus,” Seepersaud said.

Olivia Rodriguez, an alumna who graduated last spring, said she is unsure but excited to attend her first homecoming as a visitor.

“It’s definitely going to be weird coming back to campus as a visitor,” Rodriguez said. “You spend four years waiting to graduate and then when you do, you end up missing it more than you think you will.”

Steve McKown, an alumnus who graduated in January 2013, said he is excited to come back to Binghamton as a graduate.

“It will be a blast to be back in Binghamton for a weekend,” McKown said. “I’m especially looking forward to hearing all the current students complain about their workload, knowing that I don’t have to worry about that anymore.”