Thousands of Cornellians are expected to return to campus Sept. 16-18 for Homecoming 2011. Among the weekend's highlights are a mobile scavenger hunt, a student parade and the first-ever Fan Festival.

"Homecoming has been a Cornell tradition for decades," said Chris Marshall, associate vice president for alumni affairs. "This year, we're adding and promoting activities planned by dozens of organizations and local business partners, with the expectation that in a few years, Homecoming weekend will be considered a premiere fall destination activity for alumni, students, parents, friends and the Ithaca community."

The family-friendly weekend boasts a packed schedule and varied activities for everyone. Highlights include:

Friday, Sept. 16:

• Film director Justin Lerner '02 will debut "Girlfriend," 7:15 p.m., Willard Straight Theatre. He will introduce the film and take questions afterward.

• Homecoming football kickoff celebration, 7:30-9 p.m., Friends Hall. All alumni and Big Red football fans are invited to a special reception the night before the big game. Hear Ed Marinaro '72 share remarks about his days as a Big Red football player. Football coach Kent Austin also will speak. Pre-registration required.

• Hear Cornell's finest a cappella groups perform together in one night for the fifth annual A Cappella United, 7 p.m., Bailey Hall; $8. All proceeds benefit the United Way of Tompkins County.

Homecoming road closures

Homecoming events and the football game will close portions of Campus Road and Garden Avenue on Saturday, Sept. 17, during the following times to assist with the route for the march and parking for the football game:

• 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. -- Campus Road between Garden Avenue and Wing Drive;

• 3-9:30 p.m. -- Campus Road between Hoy Road and Judd Falls Road;

• 3-9:30 p.m. -- Garden Avenue between Campus Road and Tower Road.

Emergency access will be maintained at all times.

Please adjust your travel accordingly and call Transportation and Mail Services at 607-255-4600 with any questions or concerns. For updates, visit http://www.cornell.edu/about/status.

Saturday, Sept. 17:

• First-ever Homecoming Speed Networking event, noon-2:15 p.m., Corson-Mudd Atrium. Meet more alumni than you ever could by simply working a room. RSVP by Sept. 14.

• Exploring the Grape with the Cornell Viticulture and Enology Club: "Stop, Drop and Stomp," 2-5:30 p.m., Crescent Lot. Use your sense of sight, smell and touch to learn how grapes are selected and utilized in the wine making process. Turn your feet purple while stomping grapes with your fellow Cornellians and friends (shoe/feet protection will be available).

• Homecoming Fan Festival, 2-6 p.m., Lynah Rink parking lot. The Fan Festival will get you pumped up for the big game with rides, games, obstacle courses and lots of other activities for kids of all ages.

• Football team walk to stadium, 3:30 p.m., Campus Road. Line the streets to cheer on the Big Red during the traditional pregame walk to Schoellkopf Stadium. The Big Red Marching Band will lead.

• Student Homecoming March, 4:15 p.m., Campus Road. The Big Red Band will lead students from Ho Plaza to the stadium.

• Cornell vs. Bucknell football game, 6 p.m. The game will debut the new scoreboard/video board at Schoellkopf Field. For ticket information, go to http://www.cornellbigredtickets.com or call 607-254-BEAR.

Sunday, Sept. 18:

• Judy's Day, 1-5 p.m., Newman Arboretum, Plantations. Plantations' staff and volunteers, student organizations and community groups will offer a myriad of hands-on activities, stories, music and food -- all based on passages from diaries of children in Tompkins County.

Other Homecoming events include a mid-autumn festival to celebrate the Chinese Moon Festival (Zhongqui Jie), the Vietnamese Mid-Autumn Festival (Tet Trung Thu) and the Korean Harvest Festival, as well as lectures, lab tours, college information sessions and Cornell Outdoor Education activities. Attendees can also play the scavenger hunt -- SCVNGR Cornell Homecoming 2011 Trek -- on iPhone and Android smartphones by finding unique QR codes at five events Sept. 17. See http://www.alumni.cornell.edu/homecoming/scvngr.cfm for details.

Visit http://www.alumni.cornell.edu/homecoming/ for complete information and schedules.