Community partners have kept longtime Homecoming traditions alive

Alumni gathering in alumni tent
Hosted in the yard of Jane and Kevin Leighty for many years, the Alumni Tent has been a place for alumni to catch up with former classmates and professors while they watch the parade and enjoy hot chocolate, cider, coffee and Vesperman’s apple cider donuts.
Alumni Tent
Hosted in the yard of Jane and Kevin Leighty for many years, the Alumni Tent has been a place for alumni to catch up with former classmates and professors while they watch the parade and enjoy hot chocolate, cider, coffee and Vesperman’s apple cider donuts.
Culver's ice cream
This marked the 11th year of partnering with Culver’s for the Homecoming Custard Creation Challenge.
Participants in parade in UTV
Members of the Southwest UTV Club, some of whom are alumni, help with parade transportation each year.
Fireworks at the M
Partnerships between UW-Platteville and the City of Platteville make some of the most popular traditions, like the parade and fireworks at the M possible.

Familiar traditions returned this year when the University of Wisconsin-Platteville celebrated Homecoming last week – many of which would not have been able to take place without the support of the community partners who have contributed to the success of UW-Platteville’s Homecoming year after year.

This was the 11th year the UW-Platteville Alumni Association and Culver’s of Platteville teamed up for the Homecoming Custard Creation Challenge, in which Culver’s of Platteville accepts custard creation submissions. After finalists are chosen, the public, alumni and UW-Platteville community vote on their favorite flavor. The winning flavor is announced the week of homecoming and enjoyed at the Alumni Homecoming Luncheon.

"I am a [UW-Platteville] alumnus and try to give back to the community and university,” said Culver’s of Platteville owner Bruce Kroll ’89. “It's a fun contest for everyone to get creative, and we have had some pretty funny flavors over the years."

“It’s been great to work with UW-Platteville,” said UW-Platteville alumnus Kyle Vesperman ‘76 of Vesperman Farms. “We’ve been making donuts for about 10 years, and it’s grown into something very big for us, but it wasn’t always that way. UW-Platteville’s been ordering donuts from us for homecoming for six to seven years, and it’s helped us get our name out and grow.”

When the Southwest UTV Club questioned what they could do to help others in the area in 2019, they approached UW-Platteville and asked if they could help with the parade. With about two dozen members – some of them alumni – every member helped to provide transportation for participants in the parade.

“At the end of the parade in 2019 and the next day, alumni couldn’t thank us enough,” said Isaac Shanley with the Southwest UTV Club. “We were thanked by the university and asked soon after if we could provide rides the following year. We jumped at the opportunity to help out again.”

UW-Platteville and the Platteville Regional Chamber celebrated the accomplishments of both organizations at the Homecoming Chamber Breakfast.

Some of the most attended Homecoming events would not take place without the partnership between the City of Platteville and UW-Platteville, allowing for permits for the parade and fireworks and the support of the community.

"UW-Platteville and the City of Platteville have enjoyed a long, collaborative history for more than 150 years, and perhaps the most noticeable time is during Homecoming, said Paul Erickson, chief communications officer at UW-Platteville. “From the parade to the gatherings to the athletic events to the lighting of the M, city residents are a big part of our celebration. After a year's break due to the pandemic, we couldn’t wait to come together again with the greater Platteville community to celebrate the Pioneer Homecoming."