Homecoming will come in like a lion, or make that a grizzly bear, as UM celebrates with a parade before the big game against Idaho State Saturday, Oct. 9.

Applications for parade entries are now available. The theme, created for the 50th anniversary of the UM carillon, is "Ringing in the Memories." All entries should fit the parade theme.

Parade line-up begins at 9 a.m. with the starting time at 10 a.m. The parade route will begin at Pine Street and Higgins Avenue, travel south on Higgins to University Avenue, then head east to Helen Avenue.

Parade entry applications are available at the UM Alumni Association office on the first floor of Brantly Hall. Application fee is $15 and deadline is 2 p.m. Oct. 1. Applications can be returned to the UM Alumni Association office. For more information, call (406) 243-5211.

President George and Jane Dennison will lead some 600 local walkers in the annual Missoula Heart Walk, Saturday, Sept. 25. The two-mile trek gets under way at 8:30 a.m. on the Mansfield Mall.

This is the fourth year that UM has hosted the Heart Walk and the sixth year the institution has been a major sponsor. The event spotlights heart disease and stroke research that is being conducted by students and faculty at UM, including some studies that are funded by the American Heart Association.

Local sponsors and individuals have pledged more than $63,000 toward this year's $150,000 goal. To find out how to start a team, call (406) 829-3377 or e-mail doug.koester@heart.org.

UM's Dining Services has introduced a Commuter Meal Plan designed for students and employees who come to campus each day but live elsewhere.

The Commuter Meal Plan can be used at any University Dining Services location. A minimum $200 deposit is required to open an account, which carries over from fall to spring semester. A 10 percent bonus will be credited to the account for every dollar deposited.

To set up an account, visit the Dining Services office in Lommasson Center Room 145. For more information call (406) 243-6325.

The Department of Drama/Dance is looking for children of all ages to perform in its upcoming production of "A Christmas Carol."

Auditions will be held at 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 11, on the Montana Stage in the Performing Arts and Radio/Television Center. Call-backs are set for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 12. Actors should have a one-minute monologue to perform at the audition.

Rehearsals will be held Oct. 24 to Dec. 6 and performances are scheduled for Dec. 7-12. All actors must be available for the entire rehearsal and performance schedule. For more information, call (406) 243-6809.

Is there more to winning a poker game than meets the eye? Is it a true gamble or a game amenable to mathematical analysis?

Brian Alspach, professor emeritus at Simon Fraser University and adjunct professor at the University of Regina in Canada, will examine the mathematical aspects of the game at "Mathematics and Poker," a public lecture of the 2004 Big Sky Conference on Discrete Mathematics.

The lecture, free and open to the public, is aimed at a general audience and is scheduled for 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 9, in the Music Recital Hall. For more information, call (406) 243-5311.

UM geology Associate Professor Marc Hendrix will discuss new research into the relationship between Glacial Lake Missoula and Flathead Lake at the annual meeting of the Ice Age Floods Institute on Friday, Sept. 17.

The meeting runs from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at Missoula's St. Patrick Hospital in Conference Center rooms 1 and 2. Hendrix's lecture begins at 8 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

The institute also will host an educational bus tour of lake features in western Montana on Saturday, Sept. 18. The tour runs from 8 a.m. to approximately 6 p.m. and costs $30 for IAFI members and K-12 teachers and $40 for all others. The fee includes transportation, a guidebook and a box lunch. Payment and registration are required by Sept. 9; contact Pete Pettersen, (406) 728-2330 or petegolf@myyellowstone.net.

Laura Nogueira scored one goal and assisted on another to help UM's soccer team to a 2-1 victory over the Idaho Vandals last Friday at South Campus Soccer Field in Missoula.

Then on Sunday, Meghan Chambers' game-winning goal in the seventh minute of over time lifted the team to a 2-1 victory over the Washington State Cougars.

Montana moves to 2-0 on the season and will resume action next weekend in Las Vegas, Nev., with matches against Kent State Sept. 3 and UNLV Sept. 5.

UM's volleyball team opens the 2004 season this weekend with three matches at the New Mexico Invitational in Albuquerque.

Montana will face Creighton in the tournament's opening match at noon Sept. 3. Play continues on Sept. 4, when the Grizzlies face New Mexico at 12:30 p.m. and Northern Colorado at 5 p.m.

The Montana Grizzlies will meet the Maine Black Bears in the "Battle of the Bears II" this Saturday during the Griz opener at Washington-Grizzly Stadium. Kickoff is at 1:05 p.m.