By Samantha Garza | Staff Writer
The university’s annual Dinner with the Livingstones kicked off homecoming week Tuesday on the lawn of the Allbritton House. Hosted by the president and first gent, the event is a time for students to come together, celebrate and kickstart homecoming week.
The first ever Dinner with the Livingstones was hosted in 2017 when Dr. Linda Livingstone became president. Since then, she and her husband, Brad Livingstone, have made it a tradition for students to gather on the lawn of their home, eat good food and listen to live music.
Tables and chairs covered in green and gold filled up the lawn of the Allbritton House for students to sit down and enjoy their dinner. The live music and twinkling lights draped on the trees made it a special homecoming welcome for the year.
Like previous years, students were given a voucher for one free meal and one free drink or dessert. Arranged on Third and Fourth Streets, 18 popular Waco food trucks had hundreds of students lining up to cash in their vouchers. Local fan favorites like Waco Cha, Pop’s Lemonade, Nightlight Donuts and Shorty’s Pizza Shack were present.
After grabbing something to eat, students could line up right outside the Livingstones’ door and take a picture with the president and first gent.
Cuernavaca, Mexico, senior Antonio Cano said this was his first time attending the event and that he decided to come out for the free food.
“I think it’s something fun,” Cano said. “I don’t know if many universities have the same thing, so I appreciate it.”
Houston freshman Alisa Donis said she and her friends were not only excited for the food but also looking forward to seeing, meeting and taking pictures with the Livingstones.
Mexico City sophomore Francisco Rivera said he enjoyed the event, although the lines to get food were too long.
“I think this is something unique that Baylor has,” Rivera said. “All my friends that go to UT or other schools — I’ve never heard of them having events like this. So I think that Baylor is a very giving community, and I think that this [event] represents that.”
