Hee Haw or Homecoming? Henderson's First November Weekend Works Best If It Starts Thursday

On Friday, Nov. 6 and Saturday, Nov. 7, Henderson has two big shows starting at the same time. The Henderson Hee Haw Hootenanny opens at Williams Auditorium at 7 p.m. both nights. Across town, FHU Theatre's "Emma" also starts at 7 p.m. both nights, in the newly renovated Dryden Auditorium on the Freed-Hardeman University campus, and that's the middle of Homecoming week.

You can't be in two auditoriums at once. You can still see almost everything if you use the one night that doesn't overlap, and if you treat Saturday as two halves: campus in the daytime, Hee Haw at night.

Three nights, one curtain time

"Emma" runs three nights, Nov. 5 through 7. The Hootenanny runs two, Nov. 6 and 7. Here's how the 7 p.m. slot looks each night:

Thursday is the only night when the two shows don't overlap. That makes it the best night for "Emma," and it leaves Friday and Saturday open for the Hootenanny.

Thursday night belongs to Dryden Auditorium

Lots of people in town already know this building by another name. Dryden Auditorium was Loyd Auditorium, and it has been a campus gathering place since 1977. Chapel services, the Bible Lectureship, Makin' Music, commencement and community events have all been held there. Major renovations started in summer 2024. They brought new seating, flooring, a renovated stage, curtains, an upgraded sound and audiovisual system, and larger restrooms. Work went on through 2026 to add an elevator and a covered porte-cochère for drop-off and pickup at the door.

The new name honors David Thomas Dryden, great-grandfather of FHU trustee Jay Dryden, who gave to the project with his wife, Hilde. The university set the official reopening for Aug. 19, and it chose this room for the Oct. 22 inauguration of President Keith Harris, which was open to the community.

"Emma" is Kate Hamill's adaptation of the Jane Austen novel, a 1960s-inspired comedy directed by R. Cliff Thompson. FHU Theatre says its productions are open to the West Tennessee community. You can get tickets on the FHU Theatre ticket page, and the auditorium's address is 158 E. Main St. Going Thursday gets you the play and a first look at the renovated room, and it doesn't cost you a Hootenanny night.

Homecoming fills the week before the weekend

Homecoming starts well before Friday. FHU's alumni office says the event has brought people back to campus for more than 70 years. This year's theme, "The Spirit of '26," draws on the 1976 Bicentennial and the country's 250th anniversary.

"Homecoming is one of those special times when so many different parts of the university come together to create something bigger than any one event," Chris Ramey, FHU's director of alumni engagement, said in the university's Homecoming announcement.

Here's what happens before the weekend:

• Sunday, Nov. 1: Maroon Madness, a celebration of Lion and Lady Lion basketball and volleyball, at 9 p.m. in Brewer Sports Center.
• Tuesday, Nov. 3: The new "Set, Spike, Sip" Hot Chocolate Bar tailgate at 6:30 p.m. in the Brewer Sports Center parking lot, then FHU volleyball at 7 p.m. on Smith-Kirk Court.
• Wednesday, Nov. 4: The winners of the week's Puff It Up club competition play FHU's first Lady Lion Flag Football team at 7 p.m. on the Lucas Russo Intramural Field.

All week, social clubs compete in a Canstruction contest that benefits local nonprofits. If you want to catch Homecoming without trading away a show night, the Tuesday and Wednesday games are the simplest way.

Friday works for either show, if you start early

Friday's campus events start in the morning. Food Truck Friday begins at 10:30 a.m. around Brewer Sports Center. The FHU Block Party with the Legacy Jazz Ensemble runs 5 to 6:30 p.m. in the Brewer Sports Center parking lot. The FoxFire Homecoming Concert starts at 6:30 p.m. in Chapel Hall. The band includes alumni Jim "Rooster" Pitts, Kerry Stiles and Rhonda Laux Wood.

If you've already seen "Emma" on Thursday, Friday can be the block party first and the Hootenanny at 7. The jazz ends at 6:30, which leaves half an hour to get to Williams Auditorium on the Chester County Middle School campus. Saturday has the bigger campus lineup, though, and that's where planning ahead pays off most.

Saturday's daylight hours are all campus

Saturday is the fullest day of Homecoming, and most of it ends before the 7 p.m. shows begin:

1. 8 a.m. The 6th Annual FHU 5K for the Children starts at the Five Wells Field parking lot and benefits the Exchange Club-Carl Perkins Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse.
2. 11:30 a.m. The Lion Walk and FLOAT IT UP! on University Street, the FHU Chorale Homecoming Concert in Chapel Hall, and social club tailgating on the Brewer Sports Center lawn.
3. 1 p.m. Lady Lion basketball plays Bryan College on Smith-Kirk Court. At halftime, the team receives its 2026 NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship rings and the Homecoming Court is crowned.
4. 3 p.m. The Lions play Bryan College. At halftime, the 2026 Athletic Hall of Fame inductees are presented.
5. 5:20 p.m. The Homecoming Spirit Competition Trophy and the Amy Glass Spirit Trophy are awarded on Smith-Kirk Court.
6. 5:30 p.m. The Spirit of '26 Tailgate starts on the Brewer Sports Center lawn, with a patriotic theme and a seven-minute fireworks show.

Tickets for both basketball games are sold through Purplepass. The 2026 Hall of Fame class includes Haylee Croom Janiec, Whitney Newby Tompkins, Josh Sears and Mike McCutchen. They'll be honored at a 6 p.m. dinner in the Brewer Sports Center Auxiliary Gym.

The ring ceremony is the event that happens only once this weekend. It takes place during the 1 p.m. women's game. If you arrive for the 3 p.m. men's game, you'll miss it.

Then Williams Auditorium at 7

That leaves Saturday night for the Hootenanny. On its signature events page, the Henderson/Chester County Chamber of Commerce calls it a volunteer production with live music and local actors, sponsored by First Bank. The Chamber also says the show "sells out fast" and encourages buying tickets before show time through williamsauditorium.com.

Put together, the weekend looks like this. See "Emma" in the renovated Dryden on Thursday. Go to the block party or a Tuesday or Wednesday game if you like. Spend Saturday from the 1 p.m. tipoff through the 5:30 tailgate on campus, then head to Williams Auditorium for the 7 p.m. Hootenanny. That plan skips the 6 p.m. Hall of Fame dinner and Chapel Hall Singing, and it fits in everything else on the Saturday list above.

If you'd rather do Hee Haw Friday, keep Saturday night for campus. Chapel Hall Singing with the FHU Chorale starts at 7 p.m., right after the tailgate. Homecoming ends Sunday, Nov. 8, with a 9 a.m. worship service in Dryden Auditorium and brunch from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in Jones Family Dining Hall.

Williams Auditorium's next date is in December

After that weekend, Henderson's next big community evenings are on the Chamber's calendar. The Henderson Christmas Parade starts at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 3. It begins at First Baptist Church and runs down Main Street to the four-way stop at Church Street. The Chamber suggests watching from the Chester County Courthouse lawn, near the "Henderson Red Carpet" performance area.

Williams Auditorium hosts "A Chester County Christmas" at 6 p.m. on Dec. 12. It's a production show with local entertainers, live music and comedy. If Hee Haw sells out before you get a seat, the Christmas show on Dec. 12 is your next chance to see a production at Williams Auditorium.

Planning your November around these shows? Destiny and the team at Stellar Realty Group live and work in Henderson and are happy to compare calendars. If a move, a sale, or a free home valuation is on your list after Homecoming, call or message Destiny today for a free consultation.