Colorado State University Athletics
Homecoming: Bringing the Community Together
9/30/2003 12:00:00 AM | General
The people are wonderful, the campus is gorgeous and the mountains are within touching distance. There are not many bad things to say about Fort Collins, and the list of great attributes of the town seems endless. Perhaps this is why so many find it easy to call it home. Both former and current students found Colorado State and gave a piece of themselves to help create the atmosphere and pride we have today. With the support of the town and its citizens, Homecoming has become an event that is celebrated citywide, not just on the university campus.
The parade tomorrow however, is one of many events that takes place this time of year. The Homecoming parade has not always been the production it is now. The first year of the parade in 1975, it lasted only ten minutes. It was an effort to revive Homecoming, as it had lost recognition in years past. The Alumni Center had just recently done away with royalty as a man and a duck had been picked for the queen. Their original idea was to revive ?College Days?, but local merchants were not in support of this, as College Days was known for out of control kids and drinking. However, local businesses were fond of the idea of holding a Homecoming parade and were willing to support the university in getting it started. Soon after, the Oktoberfest parade, Band Days parade and the Poudre School District parade joined Colorado State in creating an atmosphere that the whole city could be involved in, on a day that celebrates the tradition and history of Colorado State. Celebrating homecoming as a community brings the city together in ways that would not normally occur. Saturday morning will bring churches together with fraternities and three rival high schools to the same site, all for one common purpose.
Homecoming weekend will be filled with many events including: the 50 Year Club Luncheon, tonight?s prep rally at the lagoon, Saturday?s 23rd Annual Department of Health and Exercise Science 5K Race, and of course, the big football game against the Fresno State Bulldogs followed by the women?s volleyball match against San Diego State. That will conclude another year of festivities and it will not be until next year, with a fresh class of alumni, that Homecoming will come again. Citizens of the community, along with the town and university, particularly the Alumni Center, have worked together for decades to create such an event, and in the process they gave current students here a sense of home, not just a place to attend school. Here at Colorado State we are lucky to have such amazing surroundings, reminding us everyday how fortunate we are to live in Fort Collins. As for the alumni returning here, demonstrating their Ram pride once again, welcome home.
by Sarah Williams, Media Relations Intern
