On Saturday, Oct. 20, the annual Elizabethtown College Homecoming Parade commenced in full splendor, taking its usual route through the Elizabethtown Borough and ending at the College among excited crowds of adults and children alike.
The parade began around 11 a.m. at Elizabethtown Area High School, where the vehicles, floats and pedestrian groups assembled, and it progressed down Hickory Lane, turned onto Willow Street, continued down Spruce Street and concluded on the packed and noisy College Avenue. The parade ended around 12 p.m., when the last fire police SUV rolled past the campus.
The annual float-building was held the day before, on Friday, Oct. 19 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. The float-building was held at the Elizabethtown Fairgrounds, a spacious and accommodating venue for the construction of the floats made by various student clubs, organizations and each Student Senate class. Afterward, dinner was provided for the participants, and the next day, their creations were put on display in the Parade.
Heading the procession was Elizabethtown Fire Police SUV No. 74, followed by Elizabethtown Police Department SUV No. 242. Immediately following the law enforcement vehicles was the Elizabethtown Area High School marching band, the percussion session hammering out a cadence as the band members marched in time and the color guard twirled bright purple flags to the cheerful beat. A pair of brightly-colored clowns followed suit, tossing out candy to the spectators gathered on the sidewalks, and the Elizabethtown Area High School cheerleaders pranced closely behind, their blue-and-silver pompoms shimmering in the late morning sun. An Elizabethtown Fire Company rescue engine rolled slowly behind the cheerleading squad, a big red behemoth with all the trimmings and trappings of an on-duty fire engine, minus the trademark dalmatian.
After the high school groups passed, it was time for the College groups to strut their stuff. Floats from organizations like the College Republicans, Colleges Against Cancer, F.E.A.S.T., Emotion and Sock & Buskin were decked out in all manner of colorful decorations. This year, the theme of the Parade floats was “holidays.” Emotion chose New Year’s Eve and Sock & Buskin fittingly chose National Theatre Day, to name a few. The class of 2016’s Senate chose a Sweet Sixteen birthday, 2015 chose Thanksgiving, 2014 chose Mardi Gras and the class of 2013 chose Columbus Day. The senior class Columbus Day float placed first in judging, while the junior class Mardi Gras float placed second and the sophomore class Thanksgiving float placed third.
Interspersed throughout the floats were Corvettes of varying colors, all of which were driven by community volunteers and added an undeniable element of sophistication to the Parade as they transported the Homecoming Court along the parade route. Allison O’Boyle and Dan Silver ‘12, last year’s King and Queen, were the first of these, followed by the Senior Court and then the underclassman courts.
Among the floats and cars were also groups that paraded on foot, including Melica, Etown’s all-female a cappella group, and Phalanx, Etown’s all-male a cappella group. Both groups sang catchy tunes while they walked, entertaining the onlookers and snapping their fingers to beautifully-crafted a cappella arrangements. Even the Bird Feeder truck made an appearance, along with a Rose 101 radio van, a group of elementary school martial art students from a local dojo, and the Blue Jay himself in a snazzy red Corvette.
Concluding the procession and traveling on foot were the Alumni Council, whose work is instrumental in organizing Homecoming for the College every year, and the College band, who rode in style on a float stacked with hay bales. The lively performance of the band brought the Parade to an exciting, upbeat close.