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Many Elon alumni from the 1990s and early 2000s remember going over to the Lighthouse Tavern for performances by the band Dakkota. Dakkota was a North Carolina-based country music band composed of five Elon graduates. They started the band in early January of 1994 and toured extensively for many years.

The band members coming back to Homecoming include: Rudy Baker ’93, Joe Beckham ’94, Stan Powell ’94, Patrick Riddick ’96, Brian Spangler ’96 and Andy Timmons ’94. In 2002, Dakkota officially ended their time touring because life, families and careers took them away from the music scene. Or as Brian Spangler shared, they finally “started to grow up.”

Lee Leckie ’98 could not be more excited about this fall’s Dakkota reunion. The band members are good friends of his, and he says it was a big part of his Elon experience. According to Lee, “anyone that was there in the late ’90s, Dakkota at the Lighthouse would have been a big part of our experience.

They first played at the Kappa Alpha house because the owner of the Lighthouse said a country band would never be successful.” But when they finally did start playing at the Lighthouse it was “wall-to-wall people every time they played, good music and good fun.” Lee said, “they played a lot of big shows and opened for a lot of country artists. It’s fun to hear some of the stories.” Dakkota has opened for country greats, such as George Jones, Travis Tritt, Kenny Chesney, David Allen Coe, Rhett Atkins and Tracy Byrd.

This year, for Elon’s Homecoming, the class of 1996 20th reunion committee and Elon’s Office of Annual Giving are bringing in Dakkota for a special performance at College Street Tap House, formerly known as the Lighthouse. This alumni celebration is open to all, with a $10 cover charge, to attend. A cash bar will be available at the event. Attendees should register before October 14 on the Elon Homecoming website. In addition to a performance by Dakkota, Elon is highlighting the following reunion years: 1981, 1986, 1991, 1996, 2001.