The Masonic Home for Children in Oxford Homecoming gets underway next weekend and organizers have planned plenty of activities for the community to enjoy.
Gene Purvis is vocational counselor for MHCO and he said the homecoming festivities give alumni a chance to come back to campus for a visit, but it’s also a time for others to tour the campus while enjoying live music, crafts, food and more.
The fun begins in earnest on Friday, Oct. 13, Purvis said on Wednesday’s TownTalk, with a charity golf tournament that alumni sponsor each year. That tournament will be held at South Granville County Club, he noted.
Later that day, as the barbecue teams begin setup for Saturday’s competition, Purvis said the grounds will be open for a “yard party,” a little food and a little music to ease into the next day’s full schedule of events.
“Saturday is the Big Day,” Purvis said. The opening ceremony kicks things off Saturday at 9 a.m., then it’s time to enjoy activities, carnival rides for the kids and a marketplace filled with handcrafted items created by the children who reside in the cottages on campus.
By 11 a.m., though, you should find a good spot along College Street or along the campus’s main driveway to get the best view for the Community and Shrine Parade.
Other main attractions include the two bands scheduled to perform, Purvis said.
At 12:30 p.m., the band 20 Ride takes the stage, followed by Nationwide Coverage from 2:45 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.
One of the vocalists of this Nashville, TN band is Oxford native Marsha Hancock Matthai, Purvis added.
The children’s home has been in operation for 150 years, and over the years, Purvis estimated that close to 11,000 children have spent time at the residential facility – some for a short time and others for much longer periods.
The home operates almost completely on private donations. “We are almost 100 percent dependent upon donations to keep the programs going here,” Purvis said. “It’s imperative that people do reach out and support in various charitable ways – through items or funds.”
View the full schedule of the Oct. 14 events at
https://mhc-oxford.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Copy-of-MHF-Schedule-of-Events-2023.pdf
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