Michele Chandler
With Homecoming Week coming to an end, the Homecoming Committee has several events planned for the students, alumni and community to participate in this weekend.
Events today will include Wear Red, Get Fed, the Hillsborough Street parade, Pack Howl pep rally and concert, as well as Union Activities Board’s All-Night Bash. The week’s festivities will end with the football game versus Virginia on Saturday, where the Leader of the Pack and spirit competition winners will be announced.
“It’s what Homecoming Week is all about — getting behind the football team and showing the captains and coach O’Brien that we really do support them,” Adam Compton, publicity chair of Homecoming Committee, said. “We hope we’ll get that kind of spirit to carry into the football game.”
According to senior Josh Sherrod, chair of Homecoming Committee, Friday’s events will begin with the last Wear Red, Get Fed, which will feature Jimmy John’s and Rocky Top Hospitality.
Following Wear Red, Get Fed, the parade down Hillsborough Street will begin at 6 p.m. Student organizations, local businesses and community sponsors and organizations are invited to participate in the parade, according to Sherrod. It will feature two grand marshals, with coach Tom O’Brien leading the parade, and women’s basketball coach Kay Yow finishing it.
The parade, which will start on the corner of Dan Allen Drive and Hillsborough Street and end in front of the Bell Tower, will feature the marching band, dance team, cheerleaders, coaches and their teams. Student organizations will also have the chance to showcase their creative floats during the parade, according to Sherrod.
“This is a big part of the spirit competition that is judged on creativity and how [student organizations] incorporate our Crush the Cavs theme into their floats,” Sherrod said. “You will be amazed when you see the creativity behind the floats.”
The parade will rally into the Pack Howl pep rally and concert at Reynolds Coliseum at 7 p.m. Sherrod said the pep rally will feature the golf team and coaches Sidney Lowe, Tom O’Brien and Kay Yow. Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity will perform a step-show, and DanceVision will perform as well.
“The craziest fan will be chosen,” Sherrod said. “We’ll have the crowd cheer for the favorite [fan].”
Following the pep rally will be the Pack Howl concert, which will showcase Brett Dennen, the Avett Brothers and Guster.
“We really hope students this year come out to the Pack Howl concert because we have… really good people coming in,” Compton said.
Compton said as of Wednesday, 2,500 tickets for the concert had been sold and the committee is expecting a crowd of more than 3,500.
Also on Friday after the Pack Howl concert, Union Activities Board will be hosting its All-Night Bash, which will take place in Talley Student Center from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
During the football game on Saturday, Sherrod said there will be student and alumni tailgates prior to kickoff. During the third-quarter break of the game, the committee will announce the Leader of the Pack scholar, the student organization winners of the float and banner competitions, as well as the first, second and third winners of the entire spirit competition.
The spirit competition winners will be based upon the student organizations that have had the most attendance and participation in the week’s events, according to Sherrod.
Compton said the events leading up to this weekend’s festivities have been a huge accomplishment. He said 11,000 cans had been collected for the food drive, and the turnout for the blood drive exceeded the committee’s goals.
“I personally think the most important events are always going to be the service events, like Take Back the Night, canned food and blood drives because those events take back to the community,” Compton said. “This was the biggest kick-off we ever had — I definitely think the student involvement has been amazing at Homecoming this year.”