Q&A with Homecoming Parade Director
Interim Chancellor Barbara Wilson participates in the Homecoming Parade on Oct. 23, 2015. This year’s parade will feature Clydesdale horses as the end of the event.
October 22, 2017
Jack Hamman, sophomore in AHS, is a member of Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity and the Greeks Support Homecoming Parade Director for the 2017 year. He has been working since last year to organize this year’s Homecoming Parade along with the members of the Greeks Homecoming Committee.
The Daily Illini: When does the parade start?
Jack Hamman: The parade starts on Friday, Oct. 27 at 6 p.m.
DI: What can we expect from the parade?
JH: You can expect a bigger parade than last year — we have more entries. We have Homecoming Court again and a couple exciting new developments.
Clydesdales are going to be our last entry, so it’ll be really cool to see giant horses at the end of the parade, all three ROTC departments, color guard, a lot of nice Corvettes.
DI: Who is the grand marshal?
JH: The grand marshal this year is Brandon Lloyd. He’s a former U of I football player.
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DI: How is the grand marshal chosen?
JH: This year, we reached out to the athletic department to get ideas of who to invite back. It’s different each year; sometimes we go for academics and sometimes we go for athletics. He’s actually finishing up his degree here, and last semester he actually studied abroad in Costa Rica. It’s going to be really exciting.
DI: What does the parade contribute to Homecoming Weekend?
JH: It’s a fun community event and gets everyone involved and included. There are a lot of RSOs that are in the parade, and anyone is welcome to sign up to walk.
There are also a lot of fun events, like the Student Alumni Ambassadors are doing a tailgate for the parade, and they’ll be doing fun things like face painting. So it’s mostly just a fun community event that everyone enjoys.
DI: What is the most memorable thing about Homecoming Parade?
JH: Definitely some of the floats that the students come up with. I know the Triangle Fraternity always comes up with something cool. It’s just cool to see the band and all the other different student organizations on campus. The Marching Illini is definitely something to watch for this year. They’re combining with the Alumni Band, so it will definitely be really cool to watch.
DI: What do you think the experience of watching the parade this year will be like?
JH: The culmination of the event that I have been preparing for, for so long, it’ll definitely be more rewarding this year to watch. I’m excited to see how it comes together. I think we have a good lineup with all the people that are registered, and I can’t wait to see how it turns out.
