Homecoming

[8993]

I'm not sure if this is 100% factual, but word has it that the annual Homecoming parade will be held on Friday night this year rather that Saturday before the game. Can anybody confirm or deny this?

I'm not sure as to why they would move the parade to a Friday night rather than the actual gameday, but from what I'm hearing here in Boone, Friday seems to be the day. I just don't understand that. There are so many logistical things wrong with that. From the fact that all alumni won't be in town yet to having to shut down King Street and River Street on a busy Friday afternoon to even more parking issues, I just don't seem to understand the rationale here.

[HkyMtneer]

It does appear that the Homecoming Parade will be moving to Friday evening. At the last Alumni Council meeting we were given a nice in-depth update on the planning moving forward for Homecoming and moving the parade to Friday evening was a key component. I've slept a few times since then but the thinking, if I recall correctly, was multi-faceted.

First and foremost: the short lead time on Sun Belt game times. If the game turns out to be a 11am or Noon game then the Homecoming Parade is essentially forced to cancel, simply from a logistics and staffing point of view. If the game is a 1 or 2pm start then the parade is feasible, but the constraints are tight and still a challenge. Later and we have no problems but again, we don't know until a few weeks prior to gameday and that pushes everyone and everything in an already busy weekend.

Another key component to the move is the desire to make homecoming much more of a "3-Day Weekend" type of event. The goal is to get more folks to take off Friday, get up the mountain, and spend all of Friday and Saturday on campus. The alumni awards ceremony, typically held on Friday evening, will be moving to Thursday evening and serve as the alumni kick-off to the weekend.

Friday plans were still a bit in flux as of the last AC meeting but Friday daytime is being designed to allow alumni to visit with their former departments (think departmental open houses, lunches, possibly Q&A's, etc.), take tours of new(er) facilities (think the AAC, student union expansion, honors facility, etc.), and to simply enjoy the campus prior to that afternoon/early evenings parade. Parking, moving of vehicles from student/staff lots on Friday, etc. was still being worked out.

The parade will then lead straight into the annual bonfire, an event which is going to be "redesigned" in an effort to unite current students and alumni into one big group. The student lip sync competition is being moved to earlier in the week, and to the HCC. Bands, food, and (fingers crossed) an alumni beer-garden are slated to be a part of the bonfire/pep-rally event.

As a result of all of this Saturday will hopefully feel a little less "rushed" or hectic as it has in the past. The idea of possibly getting a little more sleep, or a little additional tailgate time, etc. will certainly appeal to many alumni on Homecoming Saturday, more or less depending on said kickoff time.

Again, all of this was as of a month or so ago, so things might have certainly evolved since then. We have another Alumni Council meeting coming up 2 weeks from Saturday (our Howard gameday morning) so hopefully we'll have a nice update made available at that point, as to where all of the Homecoming plans currently stand.

[MtnMan09]

I am all for this idea. It has been the bane of my existence the last several years to have to sit on the side of Rivers Street for several hours waiting to be able to get into my tailgate spot. The parade would never start on time and on the most well-attended tailgate of the year we were always rushing to throw everything up and get to cooking with only a couple of hours until game time. This is a welcomed change IMO if it truly is happening.

[Yosef84]

Maybe it's just me but I have always viewed the parade (and the homecoming "court" activities) to be for the students. It's not really part of the draw for alumni coming back. I would think that traffic issues on Friday evening would be much more manageable than having to juggle game-day traffic and parking as well. The change makes sense to me.

[9Steelman]

Alumni Awards gala is schedule for Thursday night Oct 1. My wife and plan on attending. We have attended 2013 & 14 events. Absolutely a great event. The last two years I have been astounded by our alumni winners and their accompolishments. Bottom line attend your first one and you will go to future ones.

[JTApps1]

I think it is a great idea to move the parade to Friday for the reason others have mentioned. I doubt very many Alumni attend, and it creates a ton of traffic issues on one of the busiest Saturdays of the year.

Question- How many people have attended the parade either in school or after graduating? I personally watched it 1 time while in school and none since graduating.

[MtnMan09]

I think it is a great idea to move the parade to Friday for the reason others have mentioned. I doubt very many Alumni attend, and it creates a ton of traffic issues on one of the busiest Saturdays of the year.

Question- How many people have attended the parade either in school or after graduating? I personally watched it 1 time while in school and none since graduating.

I never watched it in school. As you can tell from my earlier post, I have now seen the start of it the past several years. I will not miss starting my HC Saturday glaring over the top of a Budweiser at a hastily thrown together Hoey Hall float that's sitting in my spot.

[APP904]

I know it's hard to believe but Homecoming isn't just football (that was hard for me to say). Part of this move, besides game time, does have to do with trying to meld together alumni and students on Friday. Alumni with affinity to certain groups helping with float building and supporting them by attending the parade. Alumni with younger children love the parade too. Food, fun, music, dancing-spirit under the stars, all happening on Friday night. Prior to this is a whole week of events, including Thursday's Alumni Awards @ Schaefer Center. They are working on Friday's daytime events that for sure some will enjoy.

[DaphneUrquhart]

App STAT (students today, alumni tomorrow) is really trying to gain more traction, too. Linking active alumni with today's students helps perpetuate the Appalachian family we all love. Those connections create stronger alumni organizations which help in things like student recruitment and ... yes ... fundraising. In the end, it's all about the App family and ensuring its success for generations to come.

[AppDawg]

I'm not sure if this is 100% factual, but word has it that the annual Homecoming parade will be held on Friday night this year rather that Saturday before the game. Can anybody confirm or deny this?

I'm not sure as to why they would move the parade to a Friday night rather than the actual gameday, but from what I'm hearing here in Boone, Friday seems to be the day. I just don't understand that. There are so many logistical things wrong with that. From the fact that all alumni won't be in town yet to having to shut down King Street and River Street on a busy Friday afternoon to even more parking issues, I just don't seem to understand the rationale here.

The logistical nightmare is having one of the largest donor parking lots ($1,000 and above) on campus closed until 3-4 hours before kick-off. It creates not only an unneeded traffic back-up as has been mention, but a parking domino effect to an extent. I know of folks who have a Raley /Peacock pass, but on homecomming saturday park elsewhere on campus that day to start tailgating at "normal" time (full disclosure, I have been one of those in the past). This displaces those that on any other weekend would park in the space now taken - all the while leaving an open space in Raley.

In my opinion this change is long overdue!