How this calendar works
The Office of Alumni Relations lists an event here once it has a confirmed date, venue and price. Regional chapters keep adding events through the year, so check back before you rule out a month. Last year chapters and the office held 71 events with 4,860 people at them, a little under half of them in Lake City and the Cities.
- Registering. Sign in to MyPorter with your alumni account, or call the office. Walk-ups are welcome at anything without a meal; meal events close registration four days before.
- Prices. Most chapter events are free or cost $15–$25, which covers food. “Pay your own” means the chapter reserved the room and you buy your own drink.
- Guests. Bring anyone. Spouses, partners, former roommates who went somewhere else and future Ironclads are all fine.
If you live near one of the chapter cities and want to hear about events there, set your location in the alumni directory; chapter mail follows your address.
October through December 2026
Millrace Week comes first. The full alumni and reunion schedule for October 11–17 is on Homecoming and reunions 2026; the highlights are below.
| Date | Event | Where and when | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu., Oct. 15 | Millrace Week foundry pour (alumni seating on the mezzanine) | Founders Hall high bay, 6:30 p.m. | Free |
| Fri., Oct. 16 | Distinguished Alumni Awards dinner | Founders Union ballroom, 6:45 p.m. | $45 |
| Sat., Oct. 17 | Alumni 5K; reunion and alumni tents; Forge Bowl | Riverfront Trail 8 a.m.; stadium concourse from 10 a.m.; kickoff 1 p.m. | 5K $25 |
| Sat., Oct. 24 | Ashby Falls chapter: pregame tailgate before football at Ashby Falls State | Visitors’ lot, Ashby Falls, 10:30 a.m. | $15, food included |
| Thu., Oct. 29 | Lake City chapter: hospital-district happy hour | The Switchyard, Lake City, 5:30 p.m. | Pay your own |
| Thu., Nov. 5 | The Cities chapter: packaging and plastics industry night | A member’s company training room, 6 p.m. | Free |
| Sat., Nov. 14 | Bayport chapter: food shelf service morning | Bayport Area Food Shelf, 9 a.m. | Free |
| Thu., Dec. 3 | Lake City chapter holiday social | Ellery House, Lake City, 5:30 p.m. | $20 |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Port Alder chapter holiday brunch | Harborview Grange Hall, 10 a.m. | $18 |
| Thu., Dec. 10 | The Cities chapter holiday social | Downtown event room (address with registration), 6 p.m. | $20 |
January through June 2027
| Date | Event | Where and when | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Jan. 23 | Kettle Bay chapter: ice-fishing morning (the chapter brings the auger) | Kettle Bay public access, 7 a.m. | Free |
| Sat., Feb. 13 | Alumni broomball game during Winter Carnival | Millrace pond, 1 p.m. (indoors if the ice fails inspection) | Free |
| Thu., Mar. 4 | Virtual chapter: alumni trivia night | Online, 7 p.m. | Free |
| Sat., Mar. 13 | The Cities chapter: learn-to-curl night | Curling club (address with registration), 6 p.m. | $25 |
| Tue.–Wed., Apr. 6–7 | Ironclad Giving Day, 1,893 minutes | Online; phone bank in the Welcome Center | Any gift |
| Fri.–Sat., Apr. 23–24 | Spring Alumni Weekend (see below) | Campus | Varies |
| Sat., May 15 | Lake City chapter: riverbank cleanup and picnic | Lake City riverfront park, 9 a.m. | Free |
| Sat., June 5 | Bayport chapter summer picnic | Bayport lakeside shelter, noon | $10; kids free |
| Mon., June 7 | Ironclad Club Golf Outing | Porter Falls Municipal Course, 11 a.m. shotgun | $125; young alumni $95 |
| Sat., June 19 | The Cities chapter send-off picnic for incoming first-years | City park shelter, 1 p.m. | Free for new students |
Noon career webinars
One Thursday a month, noon to 12:45 p.m., online, free. Each is run with Career Services for alumni and recorded; the recording goes to everyone who registered, including people who did not show up, which is most people.
| Date | Topic | Led by |
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 22 | Asking for a raise in a flat budget year | Jolene Brandvold, director of Career Services |
| Nov. 19 | From engineer to manager without losing your evenings | Panel of three alumni managers |
| Jan. 21 | Using the alumni directory without being awkward about it | Young Alumni Council |
| Feb. 18 | Coming back to work after a caregiving gap | Alumni career coach |
| Mar. 25 | Licenses, certifications and when a master’s is worth the money | Faculty and alumni panel |
| Apr. 15 | Hiring a Porter co-op student: a primer for alumni employers | Career Services employer team |
| May 13 | Retirement is a career transition too | Alumni career coach |
For one-on-one help, three coaching sessions a year are free.
Spring Alumni Weekend, April 23–24, 2027
The spring weekend is smaller than Millrace Week and quieter on purpose. It falls on the same weekend as Open Campus Day, so alumni who bring children or grandchildren can turn them loose in the labs on Saturday.
- Friday, noon: Golden Ironclads luncheon in Founders Commons for everyone who graduated 50 or more years ago ($30). Spouses welcome; stories about 1960s shop instructors expected.
- Friday, 2 p.m.: “What changed” campus walking tour from the Welcome Center, about 75 minutes, with a cart for anyone who wants one.
- Friday, 7:30 p.m.: a reserved block for the spring musical in Heritage Auditorium, $15 through the box office.
- Saturday, 8 a.m.: Alumni Association board meeting, open to any alum.
- Saturday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.: Open Campus Day, with an alumni table in Founders Union for coffee and name tags.
Hosting or suggesting an event
Most of the events above started with one alum emailing the office to say “there are a lot of us here.” If you want to host something, from a coffee to a plant tour at your employer, Alumni Relations will send invitations, take registrations and, for a first event, cover up to $250 of food. What chapter leaders actually do is described on alumni volunteer opportunities and regional alumni chapters.
Fictional information
UW–Porter Falls is a work of parody. These alumni events, chapters, venues, prices and webinars are invented; nobody will be waiting at a curling club or an ice-fishing hole for you.