California Baptist University celebrated its annual Homecoming weekend with a carnival on the Front Lawn on Feb. 27 to kick off the festivities. The carnival featured traditional fair rides, live music by students, food trucks and a Club and Market Fair.
Tradition held value in nearly any setting, especially at the collegiate level. In the spirit of “coming home,” an alumni pavilion also brought together CBU alumni from an array of graduating classes to eat and reminisce about their time and traditions at the university.
Ethan Morton, freshman elementary education major, attended the carnival and described the event’s atmosphere.
“It’s fun, there’s so much to do. I like the Market [Fair]. I think it’s really cool seeing families of people that have come back and they’re bringing their kids,” Morton said.
In addition to seeing alumni, Morton described spending time with current CBU students.
“I like just being able to go around and find different people that I know from different circles. I was able to find friends and hop in line with them. Everyone is [at the carnival],” Morton said.
Jacob Groves, CBU alumnus who graduated in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, attended the Homecoming Carnival with his family. When asked about traditions he experienced as a student, Groves discussed what CBU’s Homecoming was like during his time on campus.
“Our Homecoming used to actually be the Fortuna Bowl. I got the honor to play in Fortuna. Even though it was only flag football, the camaraderie with all the guys was great and as a commuter, that’s how I tapped in to this campus by playing flag football… It’s great to see the growth and be like ‘I was a Lancer, I was part of that,'” Groves said.
Since the event’s evolution, this marked Groves’ first time attending the Homecoming Carnival.
“It’s great to have [the Carnival] on the front lawn. I’m used to seeing it empty so it’s nice to see all of the rides and all of the attractions. It’s great to see all of the different faces,” Groves said.
Another alumnus, Joe Slunaker, associate professor of Christian studies, also discussed the evolution of CBU’s Homecoming. Slunaker graduated in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in applied theology and began teaching at CBU in 2011.
“I saw the evolution of Homecoming going from more of like an alumni homecoming nostalgic thing to being ‘hey we want our students to be a part of this,'” Slunaker said. “Having the Homecoming event being the flag football game… was this awesome opportunity to build community. I think that it has ran its course in an effective way and has been rightfully replaced with basketball… The Homecoming stuff was a great anchor to bring everyone into the CBU family.”
Slunaker summed up Homecoming traditions, both past and present.
“Compared to other institutions, CBU doesn’t have the same length of age. We’re celebrating 75 years this year. The Homecoming events are a great opportunity to not only walk down memory lane, but to see where the school is going in the future,” Slunaker said.
Though Homecoming has taken many different shapes throughout the years, attendees considered the 2026 Homecoming Carnival a success and said they looked forward to it for years to come as both students and future alumni.
