As a part of Homecoming Week, on Friday, Nov. 12, the Homecoming PackHowl Parade will take place on the corner of Dan Allen Drive and Hillsborough Street from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Brittnee Rambo, senior in psychology and the Director of Homecoming, said, “The parade is the beginning of the last hoorah before the game. It is supposed to get everyone excited for the pep rally and concert.”
After the parade, students will be encouraged to attend the PackHowl Concert at Harris Field. There will be speeches from some of the football players as well as head coach Tom O’Brian. The cheerleaders and marching band will also be there, with a performance by Augustana.
The PackHowl Parade has always been held on the Friday before the Homecoming football game. This year, the Wolfpack takes on Wake Forest, making the theme for Homecoming “No Wake Zone.”
Rambo, who oversees all twenty of the Homecoming events put on by the Alumni Association Student Ambassador Program, said that, at the parade, there is “a mix of community involvement. Girl scouts, fire trucks, and other different groups come.”
The floats of the parade are put together by student organizations. Amanda Young, sophomore in business administration and the Parade Committee Chairperson said, “With the theme being ‘No Wake Zone,’ there will be a lot of floats with water theme ideas.”
The floats will be judged as they are paraded down Hillsborough Street. “There is a lot of pressure to be original and creative,” said Young. “It is very competitive.”
However the floats are just a portion of the spirit of competition that goes on throughout the week. Also being judged in the parade, are the contestants for Craziest Fan. The Craziest Fan Competition is a tradition at N.C. State that recognizes an individual who shows true pack pride.
Matthew Peterson, a senior in biology, was last year’s winner of the competition. “Marching in homecoming parade is exhilarating. The crowd feeds off of whatever energy you give them, and then the sounds of people cheering get you even more pumped up,” said Peterson. “When you’re out there, and you know you’re trying to strut your stuff as the “craziest fan”, you just burst with energy. It is definitely one of the most enjoyable and satisfying things I’ve accomplished here at State.”
Peterson, though he will not be trying to protect his title on Friday, understands the importance of school pride.
“I’m just glad to see that students are still full of Wolfpack spirit,” Peterson said.
The winners of the spirit competition and Craziest Fan will be announced at the PackHowl concert after the Parade.
The VIPs of the parade are always put in convertibles, Young said. “Like the Chancellor, who is the Grand Marshall this year. People volunteer their convertibles for the parade.” she said that the parade “honors people who make a difference, like the dean, the chancellor, and the coaches.”
“The Homecoming Parade is the biggest tradition at N.C. State,” said Rambo. “It shows we are proud of our school.”
The Homecoming Parade was stopped in the 1980s, but began again in 2002.
Young said that the Parade is a show of the N.C. State “community coming together. Elementary schools to our entire department to high school bands participate.” One thing that Young would like to see is more student involvement.
“One of the problems is getting students involved and to watch the parade,” Young said. “It would be great to get the word out to students that this is something they don’t want to miss.”
