TAHLEQUAH — While Northeastern State University’s Downtown Country music troupe paid tribute to former member Carrie Underwood Friday night, dozens of audience members faced the other way — trying to get a snapshot, an autograph, a glimpse of the guest of honor.

Underwood — a 2003 Downtown Country member, 2005 American Idol winner, 2006 NSU graduate and current country music star — returned to her old college stomping ground Friday to help with NSU’s Centennial Countdown. NSU marks the centennial of its status as a state institution March 6.

“Carrie’s definitely not in Checotah tonight, because she’s right here in Tahlequah, Oklahoma,” said Downtown Country Director Kellie Doolin Farmer, making reference to Underwood’s hit “I’m Not in Checotah Anymore.”

A crowd of hundreds cheered and clapped as Underwood took the stage and joined them in “Praise the Lord, I Saw the Light.”

“Is this the Carrie Nation or what?” NSU President Dr. Don Betz said as he presented Underwood with a commemorative sculpture of campus landmark Seminary Hall. “Carrie was a 2006 magna cum laude graduate in mass communications. Magna cum laude means she’s very smart. Carrie represents some of the finest values of our university.”

Underwood said, “Thank you guys, it’s definitely good to be home.”

She thanked Glaceau Vitamin Water for helping sponsor her visit home. The beverage company was on campus filming the event for a commercial. As a result, plenty of bottles of the flavored beverage were handed out to Underwood fans and NSU students.

Kyle Dougherty, an NSU senior from Muskogee, said there probably weren’t any students staying in their dormitories.

“This is the biggest gathering of NSU students and people from Tahlequah that I’ve ever seen,” Dougherty said.

Not all the faces in the crowd were from NSU or Tahlequah.

Jenks Middle School students Libby Hanford, Savannah Fuller and Kayla Bauman huddled together to write a fan note to Carrie Underwood. It said “Dear Carrie, we would like you to know how much we love you.”

Savannah said she and her friends were in town visiting her grandfather, who she said was an NSU psychology instructor.

“And he said he had a surprise for me,” she said.

She said she and her friends got to the NSU campus at around 4 p.m.

“We were here before she was here,” she said, pointing to Underwood, who was sitting behind a barricade before her concert. “We’re going to have a policeman give the note to her.”

After receiving the gift from Betz, Underwood performed some of her hits, including some songs she wrote.

Underwood said the last time she was on the campus was Christmas Day.

“I ate at Sam & Ella’s Pizza today. That’s where I used to work,” she said.

She also recalled that when she was at NSU she was dubbed Miss Pajamas because she always wore pajamas to class.

Farmer said Underwood visited with Downtown Country performers Friday before the performance.

“She got some of the kids interested in continuing with show business, and she signed a little message on the wall near her dressing room,” Farmer said. “It was good for these kids to see that if they want it bad enough and they have talent and the drive, they can be successful.”

Reach Cathy Spaulding at 918-684-2928 or Click Here to Send Email