Groups strut their stuff in Homecoming Step Off

Andrea Hauser

No community celebration is complete without a parade, and this year the Iowa State Homecoming parade committee has one planned that the committee members promise will be entertaining and enjoyable for everyone attending.

The Homecoming Step Off parade will begin this evening at 6:15 p.m. in front of Alumni Hall and will then proceed south on Welch Avenue to Knapp Street, through Sorority Circle, down Beach Avenue and Lincoln Way. The parade will conclude on Knoll Road at the Campanile about 7 p.m.

Iowa State Marching Band, the Iowa State Cheer Squad and the Iowa State Pom Squad will be marching in the parade.

Also participating in the parade will be the Barker Brigade, a residence hall group that will be performing its lawn chair routine throughout the route.

Jeff Klopfenstein, member of the Barker Brigade and junior in pre-business, said the performance will be entertaining.

“It’s been on the floor for quite a number of years, everybody knows who we are and recognizes us. We bring a lot of fun to the parade,” he said.

A pep rally at the Campanile will follow the parade, with the Iowa State Cheerleaders and the Iowa State Marching Band leading the student body in the expression of their school spirit.

The pep rally also will feature the contestants for the second round of Yell Like Hell.

These groups of students will be ready to share the “Cyclone Spirit” as they perform for the crowd dressed in their cardinal red and gold and try to garner their points for the Homecoming Competition.

Traci Griffen, member of the Homecoming Committee, had this to say about the Homecoming Parade.

“The parade will be full of Cyclone spirit. I encourage everyone to come out and watch the parade and then join in the pep rally at the Campanile,” she said.

Jeff Donahoe, member of the Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity and junior in computer engineering, is equally enthusiastic about the events on Friday night.

“It’s really kind of cool because the more people we have out there, the better it will be. I’ve gone every year, and it’s always been great,” he said.