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Carrie McLendon

Bands, handmade floats stun at annual homecoming parade



The annual homecoming parade kicked off a successful gameday as participants marched through downtown Troy Saturday morning. A long-held and beloved tradition, the parade has been held in celebration of Troy since 1953.


The parade featured a wide range of university and community organizations, totaling 140 entries. These entries varied from area school bands and Troy’s very own Sound of the South to Greek organizations and many others from the community.


“I don’t think there's anything to compete with the homecoming parade and all the festivities that go with it,” said Chancellor Dr. Jack Hawkins Jr.

Tilly Dombroski photos

This year’s theme ‘Trojans: The Most Wanted’ celebrated Troy’s recent successes and made for a star-studded parade.


Troy University Greek organizations designed their own unique floats to compete against each other in the annual float competition. Common themes represented on the floats this year were red carpets and walks of fame, but with their own Trojan twist.


“After coming off of two SunBelt Championships, people are wanting to come to Troy -- they’re wanting to cheer on the Trojans,” Said SGA President Betsy Bennett, a senior human services major from Eufaula, Alabama. “We have a lot of legacies that have come from Troy University that we want to celebrate.” Of the 140 entries in the parade, 13 were area high school bands. Isaiah Rogers, head drum major of the Pride of the Purple and Gold marching band from Goshen High School, expressed his gratitude for being in the parade.


“I get to showcase my talents and skills as drum major and show that my band is capable of doing many things,” Rogers said. “My favorite part about being in the parade is seeing the support from such a small city, and I just love coming here every year.” Hawkins also expressed his appreciation for the participating bands.


“I was so impressed today by the number of participants,” Hawkins said. “In particular, we had more than a dozen different bands here."


For many alumni, homecoming is a time to celebrate with old friends and reflect fondly on their time in college, and the parade is an exciting opportunity for this. Edward Crowell, the vice president pro temp of the Troy University Board of Trustees and a Troy alumnus, expressed what homecoming and the parade mean to him.

“Homecoming is a gathering of people who you haven’t seen in a while,” Crowell said. “You have lot of commonalities, and you don’t get a chance to really hone in on that but once a year.


"Things go so fast, and the things that you took for granted then, you won't take for granted now.”


The winners of the homecoming float competition were announced during the game Saturday afternoon.


In the sorority division, Alpha Gamma Delta placed first while Phi Mu and Chi Omega placed second and third, respectively. In the fraternity division, Alpha Tau Omega placed first and Sigma Chi and Farmhouse placed second and third, respectively.

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