homecoming

sea of red and white filled the corner of Indiana and

a

Kirkwood Streets on Friday, Oct. 20 for the 42nd annual Homecoming parade and pep rally as a crowd of students, parents, alumni and Bloomington residents celebrated Homecoming, living up to the theme, "Back Where You Belong."

Celebrations were launched on Thursday at the "Yell Like Hell" spirit contest. Twelve groups representing residence halls, fraternities and sororities performed skits incorporating the theme. IU alumni conferred as Straight No Chaser performed for the crowd, and in the end, the winners were from Read Quad, whose skit used the Beatles song "Get Back," but changed the lyrics to fit the life of a freshman living at Read.

On Friday afternoon, participants marched down Third Street in a parade featuring political candidates, king and queen candidates and Shriners driving miniature cars. Eighty creative floats from fraternities and sororities, campus organizations and residence halls completed the lineup of the parade.

The National Residence Hall Honorary received the Craftsmanship Award and the Cream and Crimson Award, which was given to the group that best incorporated the year's theme into their float. The group spent about 12 hours creating a miniature football field, complete with goalposts and fans.

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Left: Residence hall and Greek residents combine their efforts to prove that they have the most school spirit on the Thursday of Homecoming weekend. Read Quad took home the honor of winning the annual "Yell Like Hell" spirit competition.

Photo by Katie Griffin

Below: A performer waits behind the curtain for her cue to roll onstage during"Yell Like Hell." Participants spent several months writing skits to correlate with the Homecoming theme,"Back Where You Belong." Photo by Bryan van der Beek

"Our Jimmy Buffett 'Cheeseburger in Paradise' float took about two and a half days of solid work," said Fionn Mcmanigal, a member of Lambda Chi Alpha. "But in the end it was worth it. I have never been in a parade, so it was fun to sit on the float and be involved."

Lambda Chi Alpha worked with Alpha Epsilon Phi on the float, using sand from their volleyball court to create a beach scene. They also rented trees and tiki torches, wore Hawaiian shirts and used their house music system to blast Buffett's music.

Kappa Alpha Psi's entry featured a troupe of dancers whose styling earned the Marching Award. Another crowd-pleaser was the men of Alpha Tau Omega, who danced and sang.

Along with the traditional candy throwing associated with parades, Residential Dining Services passed out boxes of popcorn and poured cups of lemonade for parade-goers.

Following the parade, the Marching Hundred played the school song, the Red Steppers performed, the cheerleaders pumped up the crowd, and the pom squad danced to "Insane in the Membrane" in front of the Sample Gates. The parade's grand marshals, Olympic athletes DeDee Nathan and Missy Ryan, both former Bloomington residents, received the crowd's praise.

Head football coach Cam Cameron delivered a speech vowing that despite stubbing their toes earlier in the season, the team would come together to beat the Minnesota Gophers the next day. After his speech, Cameron introduced the team's six captains, all of whom said they appreciated the big turnout and the continued support. Quarterback Antwaan Randle El spoke last and received a huge round of applause from his fans.

At the end of the rally, seniors Philip Roessler and Tamia Collins were crowned as the Homecoming king and queen.

Full of IU spirit, fans cheered the football team to victory the next day at Memorial Stadium. Cameron and the captains kept their promises to the crowd by beating Minnesota 51 — 43 and sending the Gophers back where they belonged. Likewise, students, alumni and Bloomington residents were back at IU where they belonged.

Left: Students in Teter-Rabb paint the windows in their lounges for Homecoming weekend. Residents of each hall painted their windows as part of a contest to see who had the most school

spirit. Photo by Andy Goh

Below: Drum major Brian Shaw leads the Marching Hundred down Third Street during the Homecoming parade.The parade stretched from Forest Quad to the Sample Gates, where it culminated in a pep rally. Photo by Bryan van der Beek