Homecoming Festivities Get Fans In The Auburn Spirit
Atime when alumni, family and friends come back to the Plains to relive that ‘War Eagle Spirit’,� says the Auburn Alumni Association about Homecoming at Auburn University. For most, it is their favorite time of the year, for others, it is just another football Saturday in Auburn.
With the passing of Auburn University’s 150th Anniversary, this year’s Homecoming seems even sweeter than the rest. Students, faculty and alumni travel from all over the country to take part in the week’s festivities to relive that “War Eagle Spirit.� But what exactly happens during the week of Homecoming?
According to the Auburn Alumni Web site, there is plenty to do during the week of Homecoming.
For starters, Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK) National Leadership Honor Society sponsors several events during the week. Events include the ODK Cake Race, Homecoming float competition, a reception for Top 5 Miss Homecoming candidates, and the Miss Homecoming halftime ceremony.
The ODK Cake Race is one of Auburn’s oldest traditions. It started in 1928, when former Auburn track coach, Wilbur Hutsell, used the race to attract potential recruits for his track team. Today, the race lasts 3.2 miles and finishes at the Hutsell track. The first 25 finishers receive a cake, and the first place male and female finishers receive a kiss from Ms. Auburn and a top male Auburn “celebrity.�
The Homecoming float competition pits all participating student organizations against each other. Each one designs, constructs, and displays their version of the Homecoming battle between Auburn and the opposing football team. Awards are given out at the end of the week when all floats are displayed behind the Quad on Auburn’s campus.
The most notable of all Homecoming traditions is the halftime ceremony to announce Miss Homecoming. The five candidates campaign all week for students’ votes, and then the winner is announced on the field with the whole stadium watching.
“Even if the girl you have been campaigning for doesn’t win, you know the winner has worked just as hard and deserves to be Miss Homecoming too,� said Sara Goodkind, a senior in public relations at Auburn University. “All of the candidates this year seem like great girls with something to give back to the university and Auburn community,� added Goodkind.
This year, Kendall Conder, a senior from Las Vegas, Nev., studying biomedical sciences at Auburn University, was elected as Auburn’s 2006-2007 Miss Homecoming.
Other events include the Homecoming Pep Rally sponsored by the Student Government Association, and a stepshow sponsored by the AU National Pan-Hellenic Council.
The pep rally is held in Toomer’s Corner on the Friday before the game. Aubie, Auburn University Cheerleaders, the Auburn University Matching Band, and many more are present to help get fans into the spirit of the game.
The stepshow is held the Friday night before the game, and boasts talent from all Auburn National Pan-Hellenic organizations.
“It always feels good to come back to a place where you feel at home,� said Kathie Tharpe, who has a child attending Auburn University. The weeklong celebration of Homecoming does just that, gives alumni, family and friends a place to come back home to on the Plains.
Photos compliments of Auburn Alumni Web site and The Plainsman
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