Generations assemble to celebrate Homecoming / CULTURE

    From the marching band tunes, the giggles of children racing for candy and the squealing suspension of overloaded pickup trucks, Homecoming is a symphony of community pride and a living testament to the enduring spirit of togetherness. 

   This year's Homecoming theme was Bobcats Through the Decades. Events included the Foreigner concert and the Lighting of the M on Sept. 25; the Homecoming Pep Rally on Sept. 29, the ASMSU Parade and the football game against Portland State on Sept. 30.  

   The idea of Homecoming games and events originated in the early 1900s as a celebration of alumni returning to their college stomping groups to cheer on their college football team. The MSU Homecoming game — then known as Bobcat Day — was first celebrated in 1926 and was the first Bobcat football victory in front of the alumni. The library archives hold evidence of a Homecoming royalty court in 1947 with individuals riding floats in the annual parade down Main Street.

   The Homecoming parade tradition continues today with clubs, sororities and fraternities coming out and celebrating with the community. 

   Every participating group constructed a float with themes varying from Back to the Future to Oktoberfest and the extensive time spent in construction was apparent. 

   Ander Streuli, a junior studying civil engineering and a brother of Sigma Phi Epsilon, talked about how Homecoming brings together the community and encourages all of Greek Life to work together. "Homecoming is a great time for alumni who've left town and people who've stayed here to meet up again, spend some time together, and reminisce about their college hometown,” he said. “For SigEp, it's been a big deal because we haven't participated in Homecoming since before COVID, and we have really enjoyed building the float with Delta Gamma and Alpha Sig and look forward to future projects together.”

   Audrey Wharton, a mechanical engineering and physics junior and sister of Delta Gamma, also spoke about the relationships between Fraternity and Sorority Life (FSL).  "Homecoming is a celebration of our community as a campus and our connection with the Bozeman community,” she said. “It also helps FSL celebrate our relationships with each other and build upon those relationships. It is just a big celebration of college culture." 

   Greek Life wasn't the only group to have gone all out this year with multiple clubs coming out to show their support. It's an excellent way for the clubs to show up and market their team to the public and gain fans and support for upcoming events. 

   The polo team wrangled the wooden horse they practice hits off of, also known as Woody, into the back of a truck and hopped on each other's shoulders to walk down Main. 

   "Everybody's here to support the community and our team, which is really important because the football team and the school make Bozeman," polo team member and health and human performance major Malia McKendry said. 

   The men's and women's hockey teams also collaborated to bring classic school spirit to Main Street. The men’s team captain Rhys Phelps said, "Homecoming is big for the team. It's the first time we have a float out here. So, it's a good way to grow the organization to show that we have a team on campus. We hope to get more fans to come to our games and support the Bobcat hockey team, which is fantastic."

   The teams skated on rollerblades to distribute candy to the excited kids. "We are building something greater than one. Homecoming brings together people, builds something new, and creates something better." Hayden Klem, forward on the men's hockey team, said. "It may all be about football at the end of the day, but that doesn't matter because we're trying to build something bigger than a school, which is community. Without community, we don't have fans. None of the sports do."

   Figures of influence also participated in the parade and showed their support of the 'Cats. MSU President Waded Cruzado rode in the back of a pickup truck with her dogs by her side. 

"Homecoming is a wonderful time for celebration. It's not only when we welcome back our alumni but also bring back all the incredible memories and allow them to see how the university has changed," Cruzado said. "But it's also how we instill the sense of alma mater in our current students. So that it's an intergenerational celebration of goodness and we are so happy to be here today."

   ASMSU Vice President Melissa Ramirez was also present at the parade. "Homecoming, I think, is a reunion of all Bobcats, regardless of age. Everyone's coming to town. It's blue and gold everywhere. So it's really cool to see school spirits, everyone coming together," Ramirez said.  

   "Sometimes it feels like two isolated islands between the town and campus. But I think during Homecoming, it's really amazing to see everybody come together as one," she said.

   The nostalgia was palpable in the audience as alumni returned home to catch up with old college friends and give their kids part of the college experience of comradery. The Packard family was one such case. 

   "We brought our kids out to experience some of the college experience. They would be third-generation Bobcats, so we love coming out with their grandparents to support the Cats and just be a part of the community," nursing program alumna Brittany Packard said. 

   Packard had brought her entire family out to the parade and they were all excited to reminisce in their alma mater. 

   Once again, the annual Homecoming parade proved to be a great success in bringing the community together and reminded us of the bonds that tie us to our hometown and school.