Viking Days 2019 upholds AU tradition
The week of Oct. 6 through the 13 marks Augustana University’s 2019 Viking Days homecoming festivities, celebrating both current Augustana students and alumni.
“The past couple of years have been big years in Augustana’s history that we chose to celebrate,” Nicole Kratz, Viking Days co-chair said. “This year, we really want to emphasize what makes Augustana, Augustana.”
Sunday, Oct. 6
Viking Days began on Sunday, Oct. 6, with the kick-off event, hosted in front of the commons from 6-9 p.m. The event featured the Sturgis, South Dakota-based band Judd Hoos, inflatables, food trucks, a dunk tank and a tie-dye station for making T-shirts.
Monday, Oct. 7
On Monday, students and staff gathered in the Elmen Center for the viking feast. Students were treated to macaroni and cheese, beef brisket, and a donut wall that spelled out “AU.”
After the meal, Augustana crowned Logan Hattervig and Kirtana KrishnaKumar as homecoming king and queen.
Earlier that day, the Viking Days committee had also provided free coffee to students outside the Sieverson Lounge.
Tuesday, Oct. 8
Tuesday had plenty of Vikings “sailing into service” with 12 hours of service projects lasting from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Enticed by free Bagel Boy provided by the Viking Days committee, different groups from around campus led projects each hour. According to Kratz, the event was meant for “people to stop by when they [had] some free time and help the community.”
Wednesday, Oct. 9
On Wednesday, students took advantage of the Viking Days free trip to Sky Zone Trampoline Park. According to senior Viking Days committee member Annika Schull, Sky Zone was a new feature this year, chosen to give students a fun opportunity to go off campus. Schull said she was happy with the event.
“Who doesn’t want to jump around for free?” Schull said.
Thursday, Oct. 10
On Thursday, campus became a “candy land” with candy of all kinds available in the academic buildings. The Viking Days committee also gave away limited edition AU stickers for the ‘A’ and ‘U’ keys on students’ laptop keyboards.
At night, campus organizations began float building, wielding paper streamers and glitter glue. Parade floats will be judged during the parade on Saturday.
Friday, Oct. 11
The Augustana Performing and Visual Arts departments will host the Command Performance on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Washington Pavillion. The concert features the Augustana Band, Augustana Choir and Northerners Jazz Band.
Saturday, Oct. 12
Beginning at 10 a.m., the Viking Days parade will feature the homecoming royal court, Augustana pep band and many student organizations. Then, the football team will take on the St. Cloud State University Huskies at 1 p.m. at Kirkeby-Over Stadium. The Augustana athletics department will also have a beer garden available for those 21 years of age and older.
Saturday night, there will be a speed painter in the dining hall from 5-7 p.m. Students can eat dinner for free if they don’t have a meal plan.
Due to a technical error, the original online publication of this story on Oct. 11 was missing the first six grafs. The error has since been corrected.
