I love a parade!

Monmouth College Homecoming 2006.

Saturday, 10:00 a.m. CDT. The carillon begins to play, and nearly a mile away, the parade begins.

If you look closely, you can see the flashing lights of the police car and fire truck at the head of the line. Meanwhile, I wander down the sidewalk at the front edge of the campus, to see who's out for the fun.


No shortage of school colors around here.


No shortage of retired faculty & families, either. Jim DeYoung (theater dept) was doing pretty much the same thing I was, but with a nicer camera

The crowd was still making its way up the walk... even at the last minute.

At long last, the show begins



(I think the lads -- and lass -- who won first prize deserve a second look, don't you?)

From here on in, I'll go small and fast for a while (kinda like the parade) but you can click on an image to get a larger one:
the Ditzlers


the 25th-year reunion bunch
The first "float".


This year's royalty and court.

MC's Marching Band in their jammies, again. I wish the college would get them snazzier outfits so they can be cowboys, too (ask the Smothers Brothers about that one).

MC Cheerleaders and those in waiting.

Miss and Little Miss Warren County

Kappa Kappa Gamma, and Monmouth-Roseville HS band.

Monmouth's wee winter royalty.

Fulton Hall does Oz proud including the flying monkeys(?).

Pi Phi remembered their little dog, too. The back of the float was done well, as well.

Last year's queen.

My favorite fraternity (Zeta Beta Tau, from which I have many old friends) honors the house they wore out, and follows that with silliness, while, in turn, are followed by more silliness -- the Sigma Phi Epsilon Kazoo Band, a tradition since at least 1967, the first MC Homecoming parade I ever saw.
The ZBT truck stalled, so the Sig-Eps caught up with them and overran them, briefly, making the end of the parade only slightly more absurd than usual... and marking probably the shortest parade in history. I crossed the street to walk home at 10:30 a.m.

Sigh.

At least we still have fall colors, for a moment