UAB will host the Spartan Iditarod at 5:30 p.m. today at the rock on Farm Lane, with student teams of four or more building a sled of cardboard and duct tape in two hours before racing their creation down a giant Slip ‘n Slide.

“We came up with the cardboard boat idea last year and we kept seeing these cardboard sled races on ski hills,” Lestan said.

“We just thought, ‘How could we do this?’ and we came up with this sled dog race kind of thing.”

Friday afternoon will mark an ice cream giveaway at the rock on Farm Lane. UAB and the MSU Dairy Store are partnering up to offer free ice cream to passers-by. At noon, Dairy Store Double Dare will begin, with the goal of covering participants in tasty treats.

“We were just talking with the Dairy Store about good ways to get attention for the ice cream giveaway,” Lestan said.

“Basically, we just want everyone to get as messy as possible.”

The Homecoming parade will be held at 6 p.m. Friday and will feature the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile.

“I have a lot of friends coming into town that I haven’t seen since graduation,” said Allison Dreiband, a 2008 MSU graduate and driver of the Wienermobile. “Being a Spartan and coming for Homecoming, it’s just going to be great.”

Homecoming Folk Fest will begin at 8 p.m. Friday in the Union Ballroom with headliner Frontier Ruckus performing.

The Tower Guard also will host tours of Beaumont Tower from 9 a.m. to noon and 3-6 p.m. Saturday. The Tower Guard is an honor service group that works with disabled students to help them in all aspects of college life.

The group is looking forward to showing the public inside the campus landmark, Tower Guard member Eric Sarb said.

“Everyone has seen the tower, but not many have been inside,” he said.